Lord of the Flies: Savage Beasts
by ArqanesQueen
Summary: FINISHED! When the only girl who survives the wreckage becomes stranded on the island with a bunch of boys, she becomes determined to show them she can fend for herself. But constant mishaps lead to a blossoming relationship and one very jealous person.
1. A Little Way Beyond the Road

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing that belongs to the wonderful William Golding

**Claimer:** Kyra ismy own character

**Rating:** Currently PG, M for later chapter

**Author's Note:** It's been almost a year since I'veposted anything I know and you guys must be waiting for all my other fics. Thanks to all of you who continue to wait I promise that I'll finish them soon. But in the meantime, iI have this one all finished up so I'll post chapters regularly as long as you guys keep reviewing. Just as a note there will be some MAJOR changes from the novel to my story...hence the fanfiction, so don't kill me if you don't like it. EVERYONE IS OLDER IN MY STORY!! Just wanted to clear that up. Read and Review plz! Enjoy!!

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Chapter 1: A Little Way Beyond the Road

"Breaking News just in," a stern female voice floated through the house from the television set. "New reports of possible nuclear weapons in the United States have caused uproars across the world. Germany is in a serious state of destruction with over half its army incinerated. General Thompson of the United States Air Force is with us today. General, can you tell us if in fact there is a nuclear invasion being planned or is there an imminent threat of nuclear warfare?"

The screen of the television set suddenly went black. Staring at her reflection in the screen, Kyra Reynolds flopped back onto the couch, her pin-straight brown and copper hair crunching beneath her. She stared outside her window into the clear blue sky. Currently residing in Glasgow, Scotland, she missed the sights and people from her hometown in London, England.

Getting up and stretching a little, she walked over to the calendar pinned on the wall beside the cabinetry in the kitchen. She ticked off the day and sighed again, adding a little number in the corner: 1004. To anyone, it looked like just an ordinary number. But it was the exact opposite.

This number was nothing ordinary. It was the number of days since September 1, 1939 when the Second World War commenced. 1004 days since Kyra had seen home. 1004 days since they were being protected in Scotland. 1004 days of being in a prison.

She just wanted it all to be over. She wished everyone would stop fighting each other and just go back to living normally before this war. _Were things ever normal?_ She thought silently. A knock on the front door brought her out of her trance. Since her parents were both at work, she wasn't supposed to answer the door or the telephone in case it was a spy from the Axis. Another knock sounded on the door and then after a minute a white card slid through the mail slot.

"If anyone's home, this is very urgent," the voice called from outside. Kyra froze and watched the card flutter to the floor. The man on the other side continued. "We request you read the card immediately as it will take effect in the next 24 hours. Thanking you from the British Armed Forces and good day to you."

Kyra let out the breath she was holding as she heard the clicking of the man's shoes down the stone steps. _Take effect in the next 24 hours?_ She thought, recalling what the man had just said.

"It can't be another bomb…can it?" She mused aloud. Slowly, she walked to the front door and picked up the card. It was in a small white envelope and she tore it open instantly. She scanned the card and nearly fainted. The small black print on the white card read:

"URGENT MESSAGE

Under possible threat of air warfare over the United Kingdom, all residents will be evacuated beginning immediately. Over the course of the next twenty-four (24) hours, military personnel will arrive at each household and escort residents' safe passage to special runways where aeroplanes will be heading to America.

Thank you on behalf of the British Armed Forces for your continued support.

Secretary General Sir Hastings Ismay

Chiefs of Staff Committee

British Armed Forces"

Kyra fell into the recently vacated sofa just as a key sounded in the lock. She didn't even register the fact that her parents were home from work or that her mom was calling to her and asking what was wrong. It was then her mother saw the card lying on the floor next to Kyra's feet. She picked it up and read it, Kyra looking up in time to see her mother and father exchange glances.

Judging by the looks on their faces, Kyra felt as if they had known this was coming sooner or later. She may have been only 17, but she knew her parents better than anything.

"I guess we have no choice," her father finally declared in a retired voice. It was like he was tired of this war as well. In a way, they all were. Kyra had always known it was a matter of time before they had to leave again. She just hadn't expected it this soon. She remembered when the first bombs fell on London a few kilometres from her house. They had evacuated immediately and had been sent by train to Scotland where they were now residing. That had been two and a half years ago. And now, here they were, just settling down, when they had to be moved again.

"When will this ever end?" Kyra said to no one in particular and then turned and left the room.

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The end of one thing is often the beginning of another. This was true for all those who were currently boarding Flight 625 in Glasgow International Airport. This was the end of their stay in Scotland but the beginning of a very long adventure. Though they knew they were going to America they did not know what would become of them or their families.

Kyra was ushered into a line with several other girls. Most were younger than her and she instantly spotted her best friend, Gabrielle. She rushed up the line to meet the brown haired girl.

"Gabrielle!" she whispered to her 14-year-old friend. The brunette gave Kyra a hug and then fell silent. Kyra knew Gabrielle was still upset that her mother had died in a blast back in London. She had been forced to live with her father whom she greatly despised and when the call for evacuation had come, Gabrielle's father had been more than happy to let her go.

Kyra, on the other hand, had had a difficult time leaving her parents. Children and adults had been separated, with the children being evacuated on different planes then their parents. She hadn't wanted to leave, but knew that she had no choice. If anything, this was the best thing to do and she knew they would be together again in America.

In the terminal, there were two lines arranged in order of age: the boys and the girls. Kyra was at the back of her line being the oldest girl with Gabrielle in front of her. In the boys' line, she could see that the last boy was around her age with blonde hair and blue eyes and was talking to a black-haired boy around his age. She scanned the line quickly and spotted her old-time friend. As the girls' line began to move forward, she realized that they would be sitting separately. As she passed her friend, she called out to him.

"Ralph!" A well-built 16-year-old boy looked up and his hazel eyes locked with Kyra's azure ones. He smiled at his friend.

"You're coming too!" he said happily, a sense of relief washing over him at the sight of his friend. "I thought you stayed back in London. I couldn't find you here."

"We were in a house in the valley. Our closest neighbour was a mile away," she explained to him. He nodded as the girls' line grew shorter and shorter. She waved goodbye to him and he called out behind her.

"I'll see you in America!" She turned around and nodded, a smile forming on her face. It was the first time she had smiled in two and a half years. And then, she was being pushed inside the cramped space of the back of the plane and out of sight. She sighed as she took her seat near the window. Gabrielle sat beside her and the two lapsed into silence. They could hear the boys entering the plane through the partition that had been set up to divide the two genders.

A half hour later the plane was in the air and the world below them became a blur of nothingness. Time, Kyra knew, would pass by very slowly, and so, she allowed herself to drift off into an uneasy sleep.

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She didn't know whether it was the sound of bickering children or the roaring engines that had awoken her, but what Kyra did know was that she was in a very bad mood. She blinked in the evening sun and looked around. Most of the children were restless and tired and some were crying for their mothers and fathers. Kyra couldn't take it anymore and so, standing up, she let her voice rise above all the chattering.

"Hush up, all of you!" Instantly, the back of the plane fell into silence. The youngest children were almost afraid of her, but some of the older girls knew that crying would get them no where.

Kyra saw one of the older girls, around 12, trying to console a child of about 7.

"My mama always sings to me before I go to bed," the littlun said in between sobs. The older girl looked suddenly nervous.

"Well I don't know how to sing love, but I-", she was cut off by the wailing of the little girl again. This time, it triggered all the littluns to begin crying again.

"A little way beyond the road,

A house stood proud and tall.

The little man we knew so well,

Who always heard our call…" The back of the plane once again quieted down as the melody of a beautiful voice had begun to sing. It was Gabrielle and Kyra smiled, joining her friend.

"I never knew a man so kind,

He always had a smile.

A treat for us he'd always give,

We'd always stay awhile.

Then one day not far from home,

We said our last goodbyes.

Little did we know back then,

The real reason why."

Kyra paused for a second as she thought about the lyrics. Gabrielle was humming softly now as all the children were listening. Kyra closed her eyes and was about to take up the song when she heard a deep voice from the other side of the partition singing the same tune.

"And what we found on that one day,

It tore us all apart.

For deep inside the core of us,

Were our bleeding hearts." Suddenly, more boys started to sing, joining the first in a beautiful choir. Kyra and Gabrielle began to sing as well.

"The man we never saw again,

And though we now knew why,

We never questioned reasons that,

Had long since passed us by.

And even though the day had come,

For us to go back home,

We always looked beyond the hills,

To a place now all alone.

In our hearts we knew the truth,

And though we did deny,

We never wanted to believe,

That our world had been a lie.

And when it came our time to end,

We saw it fit to say,

That we had known a little man,

Who kept us all at bay.

But the truth is one we cannot hide,

Our world is torn apart.

They told us once they'd fight for us,

A passion in their hearts.

But the day has come to see the truth,

And though we still stand strong,

We won't decide who lives or dies,

Or who is right or wrong.

But what we can, we will do,

For it is in us all,

To help the ones who cannot stand,

And help the ones who fall.

And I will fight until the end,

Until I know it's through.

And whatever end I may meet,

I know I will stay true.

And one day when my story ends,

I'll tell them all I've seen.

The story of a little man,

And the places that he's been.

And I will say that he was kind,

And strong, and proud and tall.

And I will say he was the one,

Who always heard our call.

For in the nights I cannot sleep,

I look into the night.

And stare beyond the hills above,

And see a glowing light.

And deep inside I know it's him

He's heard my call once more.

I close my eyes and go to sleep,

And dream of nothing more.

And when I wake up in the morn,

I know that I'll be home.

And I will look up to the sky and thank the little man,

For he has kept me safe again, in all my times alone.

And I will always stop to think,

And give him one last prayer.

For he will guide me home again,

Of that I'm always sure.

For home is where the heart does lie,

A truth I don't deny…,"

The choir of boys stopped singing and only Gabrielle was humming softly now. Kyra opened her eyes and softly sang the last lines.

"And home is where I'll always go,

Long after I say…goodbye…" Her voice faded away into the silence and she looked around the back of the plane. Most of the girls had drifted off into sleep and Kyra smiled to herself.

Silently, after making sure no one was watching her, she took a peek around the partition and saw Ralph sitting in the back seat. Smiling she whispered his name.

"Ralph!" she hissed, but he didn't hear. He continued to stare out the window at the growing darkness.

"Ralph!" she whispered again this time a little louder. Still her friend didn't respond. Kyra sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Ralph!" she whispered quite loudly and at last the brown haired boy turned around. A smile spread on his face but as Kyra entered into the boys' quarters, his face became creased with worry.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Ralph whispered frantically. It seemed none of the other boys had noticed her presence as she sat done beside him.

"Oh hush, you," Kyra giggled as she took a seat beside Ralph. He gave her a hug, which she returned, though it was quite awkward considering the way they were seated.

"I hope this flight doesn't take too long," Ralph said quietly, glancing around the cramped plane, the littluns with their heads inclined towards the windows dozing off and on, the older boys staring blankly out the window.

"It's taken long enough," Kyra sighed. There was a moment's pause where the two friends remained silent as if reminiscing about past times.

"I never wanted to leave Scotland, you know, mush less London," Kyra said to Ralph, though her gaze travelled past him to the window and out over the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

Ralph placed a comforting hand on hers. "I know I didn't want to either. But think of this…we're going to America, and we're going to be together and then our parents are going to come too."

She smiled. That was Ralph- always the optimist. He always viewed things in a good manner, never letting things disappoint him or stifle his spirit. Kyra, on the contrary, was a realist, and perhaps in one way or another, a bit of an pessimist. She didn't believe, as many of the others around her did, that everything would be alright when they got to America. From her experience, everything would be far from alright.

Though both originally from America, Ralph and Kyra had moved to London as children until the war, when they were forced to move to Scotland. Because her father was an Admiral in the U.S. Navy, Kyra was always assured her safety, and being best friends with Ralph's dad, her father always made sure his friend had the same. The two friends had been separated for almost 3 years since evacuations in England had begun. Even though Ralph lived in Scotland as well, he lived higher up in the country side and visits to any friends were not permitted lest anyone see them.

A comfortable silence spread between Kyra and Ralph and for a moment, Kyra even forgot where she was- not the plane itself, but being on the other side of the curtain that divided girls from boys, men from women. She thought it downright disgraceful, the girls having to sit at the back with most of the noise and the constant interruptions of boys who had to pass through to use the washrooms. That definitely made her tick. Why could the boys pass through the girls' side but not the other way around?

The peculiar feeling of being watched made Kyra look up from her thoughts. She looked to her left where she saw Ralph deep in thought and then scanned the plane where she found a pair of cerulean eyes on her. It was the same boy that had stood at the back of the line back in the airport terminal. His black haired friend was sitting on the seat behind him, the small sly smirk still plastered to his face from what Kyra could see. For an instance, Kyra locked eyes with the blond haired, blue-eyed boy and took in his appearance. He was well built, though not as toned as Ralph. He looked to have attained his muscle from hard labour instead of constant exercise. He had a soft round face, almost pale in colour but with just the right tinge of soft peach that made him look god-like. His blond hair was longer than most of the boys, except for his black-haired friend. It was cut in a rough manner that stopped at the nape of his neck, while his bangs fell softly across his forehead and even slightly into his eyes so that he had a somewhat disheveled yet decent look about him. His lips, full and pink, were drawn in an almost perfectly straight line that made Kyra almost scared of him.

Yet something about him also calmed her. The look in his eyes was soft though determined. It was like he had something important to do but was the slightest bit scared of doing it. _If he's ever scared of anything, he sure wouldn't show it_, Kyra found herself thinking. She shook her head clearly and got up to go back with the other girls. She put a hand on Ralph's shoulders to get his attention and whispered to him that she was leaving. He nodded and Kyra could see the sadness in his eyes. One thing she learned about Ralph was that whatever he felt, that emotion played on his every feature.

She turned towards the partition and lifted it slightly so that she could return to her seat. Looking over her shoulder one last time, she saw the blond-haired boy still staring intently at her. Apparently, his black-haired friend seemed to be interested as well for he now turned his face to see what his friend was looking at and his mouth hung open.

He quickly closed it as he and Kyra locked eyes and she knew, by the smirk on his face, that she was going to be in big trouble. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, she flung herself on the other side of the curtain and resumed her seat as if nothing had happened. It seemed the boy never got a chance to say anything because she hadn't heard his voice.

Sighing again, she looked about the cabin. Gabrielle, she realized, was at the back with the littluns playing hand games with them to keep them company. The two girls caught each others eye and winked. Kyra smiled and lay back in her seat. A flight attendant, she noticed, was coming around with food and she readily took the offered sandwich and drink.

"What time do we arrive?" Kyra asked the attendant before she moved towards the back of the plane.

The attendant smiled politely and answered, "We'll be arriving at the carrier shortly and then transferring to a boat. The plane should be arriving in about half an hour, Miss."

Kyra nodded in thanks and wondered why they were taking a boat instead of a plane. The Atlantic shores were probably filled with U-boats and other vessels and they could easily be struck with a torpedo. Though any fighter jet could easily take them down aboard the plane, at least they had a chance of escape.

Shaking her head, she focused on her sandwich and for once let herself forget everything in the outside world. For the next half an hour, only she existed.

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**A/N:** Hope you enjoyed it. Read and review plz! No flames!


	2. Riches of the Deep

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing of Lord of the Flies

**Claimer:** Kyra is my one character

**Rating: **Currently PG

**Author's Note:** So I promised this would be up and it is. Again for all of you who don't remember, the story has chagned hence the fanfiction, so don't kill me if you don't like certain parts. I'm the writer, my imagination led me to where it wanted. Review, review, review, or I might have to discontinue the story and that would be a shame since its all written and finished and I just have to post the chapters up one by one. No flames please. Like Thumper's mother said from _Bambi,_ if you don't have anything nice to say, than don't say anything at all. Thanks to those who reviewed and hope you don't find errors in this chapter. Read and review and enjoy!!

**Chapter 2: Riches of the Deep**

Depending on what you're waiting for, a half hour ride can either be dreadfully long or horribly short.

In this case, it was dreadfully long.

_Too long in fact,_ Kyra mused. Everyone was off the plane and standing on an aircraft carrier belonging to the U.S. Navy. They were awaiting their boat that would take them to the shores of Boston, Massachusetts where they would take a train to New York and wait for their families.

The littluns huddled together keeping warm while the older kids wandered to the stern of the carrier and looked out at the blackening sea. The night air was warm and the full moon cast its glow over the black waters. It lapped silently on the carrier as the older kids stared intently in the darkness directly ahead of them. A tiny glow- just a speck in the night sky- was approaching the carrier fast. The glow became stronger until, about five minutes later, a small boat pulled up alongside the carrier.

After much havoc, a ladder was thrown from the carrier to the boat and the group began their descent into it. For a boat supposed to hold the weight of approximately 20-30 people, including the captain, Kyra thought it to be rather small for all of them. She later learned that below deck was much roomier than one would think. The deck, though small could easily fit 10 people comfortably. But below deck, there were accommodations for all of them and even a few extra rooms to spare. As the moon rose higher into the night sky, the littluns were taken by some of the older girls below deck and put to sleep. By the time it was midnight, only 6 of the older ones were on deck. Kyra, Ralph, the blond- haired boy and his shaggy-haired friend, and two more boys whom Kyra hadn't seen yet- one was quite chubby with glasses and the other a boy about Gabrielle's age with brown hair and eyes and who remained very quiet. It seemed the plump boy with glasses was called Piggy, or at least that's what Kyra heard when Ralph told him to shut up. From what she gathered listening and talking to Ralph, Kyra learned that the quiet boy in the corner was Simon and that Piggy never gave his real name to anyone. She also learned that the blond-haired boy was Jack and his friend with the charcoal eyes was Roger. They were best friends apparently and Ralph also mentioned that Jack led a choir (who happened to be almost all on board- or at least those who were, were under Jack's command).

Time seemed to tick incredibly slowly, though from the current of the water behind them, they were making very good head way. According to their captain, they were somewhere in the South Atlantic Ocean. Kyra, knowing her history well (thanks to her father's persistent teachings) questioned the captain on their route. At her knowledge and inquires, the captain told her that they couldn't head directly for the United States because the water was so expansive that anything could be hiding out there. So, the alternative was to head south to Florida and then along the coast where the water was too shallow for U-boats and other dangerous weapons.

Upon understanding the plan, Kyra realized that the trip would take longer considering they had to travel the entire coast. Simon and Piggy had retreated to their rooms downstairs and after a quick scan Kyra thought she might be alone. Of course, that was short-lived and she heard footsteps behind her. Turning around, she saw it was the blond, Jack with his friend Roger. It seemed as if they had just come up from below deck and were nearing the stern of the boat.

"Can't sleep yet?" a voice said beside her. Kyra nearly jumped but recognized the voice and playfully swatted Ralph on the arm.

"No, what about you?" She asked in return. Ralph shrugged.

"Just can't sleep. Every time I go down there, I gotta come back up for air," he said casually. She smiled wryly. Though Ralph wouldn't admit it, she knew he hated boats, or at least being below deck.

"Well, if it makes you feels any better, I have this uneasy feeling…," she trailed off, knowing that Ralph's curiosity would make him ask questions.

"That doesn't exactly make things better you know," he laughed. "But what's going on?" His face hardened a little and he became a little more serious. He could see the same expression on his best friend's face.

"For one, we're in the middle of the open ocean, it's pitch black and you can't see an inch in front of you, we're in the middle of a world war, and to top it off-" she looked to the sky and the now obscured moon- "it looks like a storms coming in."

Ralph had no choice but to laugh. He even got Kyra to crack a smile. But that still didn't settle the feeling in her stomach and the lump that was rising to her throat- two indicators of imminent danger.

The distant sounds of thunder made everyone on deck cease talking. Jack whistled but his voice floated away with the sudden gusts of wind. Kyra tapped on the glass of the captain's room and poked her head inside.

"Captain," she said loudly over the wind and thunder. "We've a storm coming, the north is pitch."

The captain glanced backwards and nodded. She watched him shift gears and they could feel the boat gaining speed. A bolt of lightning flashed across the darkening sky and a roar of thunder followed. Someone screamed below deck and Kyra knew the littluns were awake. It had started to rain, the droplets falling thick and heavy on the four. Kyra glanced to the north. Lightning illuminated the sky for a split-second and she could see the red outlines of the black clouds. She knew from experience and especially during this time of year (it being June), that hurricanes could form at any time. If she was right (as she suspected she was), then the coordinates she had read off the captain's map located them southeast of Bermuda, and the Bermuda Triangle itself.

The water was lapping higher onto the boat now and as the boat began to rock, the black water seeped on deck, then drained off as the boat tipped the other way. More cries echoed from below deck and a loud laugh brought Kyra back to reality. She wasn't alone on deck and the other 3 boys were watching the storm with her. Ralph was still where the captain's room was, holding onto the bars with life. Jack was against the cabin door that led below deck trying to hold on to something as the boat swayed violently.

A crash louder than any Kyra ever heard sounded then and sparks flew off the boat.

She looked up in time to see the lightning illuminating the steam tower it has just struck. In the open, everything was louder, and the storm was pounding in all their ears so it sounded like drums were being played at insane volumes. Kyra covered her ears as did Ralph and Jack from the next crack of thunder which was so loud, Kyra was sure it could have caused an earthquake. Roger was the only one who seemed to be enjoying any of this as he was intently peering over the edge of the boat, but not leaning over it as not to fall in. The water lapped over his feet in violent waves and lightning struck the water close to the boat. The rain was falling harder when another deafening crash followed by a sickening crunch of metal made all four turn around. The steam tower was smoking now, but not from the power of the boat. It had taken another hit from the lightning and was crumpling beneath its own weight.

The base, now severely damaged, was falling on its side towards the stern of the ship- right where Kyra was standing. She saw Roger was in its way as well and yelled at him to move lest he die. She was about to move when one of the cables holding the tower upright snapped with such force it lashed out across the boat. Sparks continued to fly as the cables snapped in half and Kyra had to duck so she wouldn't be hit by the wires. The tower was falling faster now and a sudden push made her skid towards the side of the boat and into an inflatable boat. She looked up in time to see Ralph running out of the way as the tower fell with such force that the wooden boards beneath began to split in two.

She looked to Ralph and nodded. He helped her up and went to the captain's room with her.

"Sir," she called to him. "The lifeboat…we need to deploy it!"

The captain nodded vigorously but said nothing as if talking would distract him.

Jack and Roger who had heard immediately went for the lifeboat and began to deploy it. Kyra told Ralph to wait on deck while she went below to get everyone. Another crack made them all look down this time. The boards were beginning to break one by one.

"Don't go down there, you'll kill yourself!" Ralph shouted over the wind, rain and thunder.

Kyra disregarded him and ran down the steps. She burst through the doors but was shocked at her findings. The boards had split through the roof and had impaled some in their sleep, while others were beginning to drown as the boat began to sink. She had no time to help them. She continued bursting open all the doors and found Gabrielle huddled with a bunch of littluns, all boys, who had somehow escaped into safety.

"Come on, all of you, we have to leave now!" she shouted to them. Their bodies went into motion and they followed her up the stairs.

"Gabrielle, lead them to the lifeboat," Kyra ordered suddenly and then disappeared downstairs. She searched for her room and found her black bag which had some things she was bringing to America. It consisted only of a change of clothes and some hair products, though she doubted that would matter much. She jumped up the stairs in twos and threes as the floorboards began to pop.

She was on deck the next minute and noticed that as the boat swayed harder, some littluns were falling into the merciless waters of the Atlantic. Though it wasn't cold, it was still a vast expanse of water and she knew they wouldn't make it. Someone screamed on deck and she looked to the source. Gabrielle's skirt had caught on fire after a lightning strike had burned the exposed wires and started a fire. She jumped in the water beside the lifeboat to douse the flames. The lifeboat had as many littluns in it that it could carry. The older boys were huddled around it. Ralph, Kyra and Roger were still on the boat.

Roger jumped in and swam to the others. A cry from downstairs told them that someone was still alive. Ralph had jumped in, Kyra knew, because she could hear the splash of water. They were urging her to follow but the cry held her back. She hesitated a moment to long and when she turned back to take the plunge, the wires exploded into flames, sending hot fireballs into the cool waters. Kyra jumped just as the flames erupted and surfaced in time to see one fireball hit the inflatable. The boys quickly doused it, but the inflatable was starting to lose air. They were swimming towards the south, at least that's what Kyra thought. A line appeared in their horizon and the boys began to swim towards it briskly. The boat was still moving forward though it looked as if the captain wasn't doing the work. The water was still moving violently but had receded a little and the thunder had almost ceased. Still, the sky was pitch, the rain continued to fall, though lightly now, and occasional streaks of lightning plagued the sky.

Kyra could see Ralph helping Piggy swim with Simon behind them. They were headed towards land, they could see it clearly now. A piercing cry rang out in the water and Kyra turned around. Another boy whom Jack called Maurice also turned around. He was swimming a little farther out in search of any survivors. Jack was also prowling the waters close to the shore and the disappearing boat.

Kyra noticed a little boy wailing for help, his little arms flailing in the air. She threw her black bag into the inflatable and swam out. As she rushed to save him, she noticed someone was already there. Gabrielle was within reach of the little boy, but just as she made way to grab him, his head dropped below the surface and bubbles formed where his head had been. Gabrielle dove to save the boy and Kyra waited anxiously. When neither resurfaced within the minute, she plunged down under them. She couldn't see much for the pitch of the water but could see vague forms floating in front of her. She put on a burst of energy but was wretched backwards as something held her fast. She looked down to see her foot bound in seaweed. Taking her knife from her other boot, she tried to cut herself lose but to no avail. She had no strength to make the cut for the lack of air. She had been below the surface for at least a minute and she was in desperate need of oxygen. Suddenly, she felt the seaweed release her and she propelled herself to the surface. Gasping for air and coughing, she knew she had to save her best friend and the little boy.

She saw, from the corner of her eye, Jack surface somewhere behind her and figured it must have been him who released her. But there was no time for thank-you; she had two lives to save. Once more, she plunged herself under the water and headed towards the forms of Gabrielle and the little boy. She could feel the immense pressure as she got deeper into the ocean. Gabrielle had lost the little boy whose lifeless body was floating away silently. Gabrielle, however, was still alive but straining for oxygen. Kyra knew if she could get to her friend, she could pull the two up towards air. But Gabrielle was planning differently. She could see Kyra straining to swim closer, the enormous pressure like weights on her back, arms and legs. Her head began to get clouded and she blinked a couple of times to refocus her vision. Gabrielle shoved her hands out in front of her, motioning in a sort of way for Kyra to stay back. Gabrielle's strength had left her and she could no longer pull her body upwards. With one more gallant effort, Kyra thrust forward, trying to propel herself through the blackness of the water.

This time however, something- rather someone- grabbed hold of her shirt and dragged her towards the surface. She had no choice but to follow and knew that if she fought she would drown the both of them. As they surfaced, she saw Jack's face beside her and a tirade of anger descended upon him. She pushed him away from her, telling him she could have saved Gabrielle.

Just then a sudden explosion caused everyone, both in the water and on land, to look up. The boat had finally erupted, the fire finding the fuel and reacting. The explosion littered the ocean with flaming bits of metal and wood and the frame of the boat sank deep beneath the black waters of the Atlantic.

The captain had gone down with his ship, and Jack was now ushering Kyra towards land. She looked out into the Atlantic one last time.

She had had her feast. She would be calm in the morning, but tonight, she had fed well. She had claimed her victory; her prize.

She was the richest thing in the world.

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**A/N: **Hope you enjoyed and read and review please!!


	3. Call of the Conch

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing of William Golding's fabulous creations...

**Claimer: **Only Kyra Reynolds...

**Rating: **PG

**Author's Note:** You guys have been real good to me expect I was hoping for more reviews from those who read. You'll notice there are A LOT LESS PEOPLE on the island just because it makes managing a story where I'd like to include everyone so much easier to write. Again people, please read and review it always keeps me writing. No reviews, no story. Sorry, but that's the way it goes folks. So read on and most importantly, PLEASE REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! Thanks everyone and have a nice read.

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Chapter 3: Call of the Conch

Dawn came as expected and the skies and seas were calm. Opening her eyes very slowly, Kyra saw Ralph and the other boy- Piggy- standing over her. She blinked in the bright morning sun (at least she assumed it was morning) and let Ralph help her up.

Apparently, after the explosion of the boat, Jack had helped Kyra to land and they both collapsed from exhaustion. Ralph told Kyra that when he woke in the morning, he found the inflatable washing away into sea and that the littluns had run about in their new home. Also, Jack and his choir had gone off and could not be found.

Kyra looked around the island they were stranded on. Her black bag was beside her on the ground and she picked it up, throwing it over her shoulder. As her, Ralph and Piggy walked, she explained to them where they were. She knew they were far from Florida, their original destination, but somewhere south of Bermuda, probably around Cuba or Haiti. Piggy asked how she knew all this and Kyra told him that her father had taught her all about navigation, being in the U.S. Navy. She also mentioned that Ralph's dad was a commander in the Navy as well. Piggy seemed saddened by the news and Kyra and Ralph exchanged glances.

"My auntie raised me," he said flatly. The other two said nothing nor asked because they knew it would probably hurt Piggy's feelings.

"How old are you…um…," Kyra trailed off as she was unsure of what to call him. He seemed to disregard this and answered anyways.

"I'm 15. I'll be 16 soon, by the end of August," he added smiling a little. "How long do you think we'll be here?"

Again the other two changed glances. "I don't really know. We have to find a way of calling the others and organizing this island. It doesn't seem very big and I think most of us are old enough to take care of ourselves and the littluns," Ralph said thoughtfully.

As if on cue, Piggy pointed out something in the water of the lagoon they were passing through. "Look, it's a conch!" he said excitedly.

Kyra smiled and Ralph grabbed a branch to hoist their findings towards them. Piggy picked it up and examined it thoroughly. It was a beautiful white shell with peach and pink colours flowing smoothly into the body. Ralph took it from him and examined it as well.

"It is beautiful," he agreed. Kyra nodded and looked up as Piggy spoke.

"You can use it to call people you know," he said, suddenly excited again. "My auntie said that if you blow through that hole there, you can make a sound like a trumpet and people will hear you. I can't do it because of my asthma." He was rambling a bit and Kyra found he did that when extreme excitement overtook him. He was also breathing hard and she assumed the asthma was kicking in.

"You should relax so your asthma doesn't work up," she motioned to some logs beside them. He promptly sat on one and started breathing regularly.

Meanwhile, Ralph, quite unsure of what he was doing, lifted the conch to his lips and blew hard through the little hole. Sure enough, a beautiful sound erupted throughout the forest. He called two more times and within minutes, the others were arriving at the lagoon.

The first was a small boy named Jonathan who sat in the sand beside Piggy (who remained on the log). Then twins, Sam and Eric (who called themselves Samneric as one word), also joined the group and sat beside some other little one who had also arrived. Last, a band of boys in two parallel lines, led by Jack, marched in perfect unison, halted in front of the others and waited for orders. Only when one of them, Simon, fell from the lines, did Jack permit them to break up the assemblage and remove their cloaks and choir garments. When everyone was seated, Ralph spoke up.

"We got all of you here because we need to know how many of us there are and who we are."

"How're we going to keep track of all that?" asked Maurice interestedly. Ralph was stumped. A sudden movement behind Ralph made everyone watch (and Ralph turn around). Kyra, whom no one had seen before, was rummaging through her bag for something. She pulled out a small notepad complete with miniature pen and handed it to Ralph.

"Keep track on this. Our names and ages so we know where we stand," she said shortly. Roger cleared his throat.

"Where did you get that from?"

"I pulled it out of thin air," she said sarcastically and the others laughed, even Jack. "Well Sherlock, the bag I had is waterproof leather, so the paper didn't get wet when I was in the water."

Roger looked daggers at her but Kyra seemed to care less. Ralph cleared his throat loudly and was about to take names down when someone interrupted him. It was Jack.

"Hold on now, who said we have to do this. It's not like we're going to be here long right."

Roger nodded and so did Maurice, who Kyra noticed, had rusty red hair, almost brunette and a pair of sad looking copper eyes. Ralph insisted that they must keep track of who is on the island until they do get rescued so that they all get home safely. Then a littlun started to cry as he heard the word "rescue" and wanted his mother. That started up a tyrant of crying from the other 4 or 5 littluns and nearly drowned Ralph and Jack's bickering. Piggy, Kyra and Simon exchanged glances and finally fed up, Kyra grabbed the conch and blew hard. The sound was magnified in their small space and everyone shut up instantly.

"My god, I've never heard so much rambling in my life!" she exclaimed. "Give me this," she took the pad from Ralph and continued on. "First, we take names and ages because Ralph is right and I don't care what you have to say about it."

Her firm voice and look made Jack close his mouth and sit down. He saw no point in arguing. And so, Kyra began, one by one, gathering the names of each boy. There were in all, about 5 littluns, those being Percival, Johnny and Michael who were 7 years old, Bill was 6 and Henry was 8. Then there were the older ones, those being: Simon, 14, Sam, Eric, Piggy and Robert, 15, Maurice and Ralph, 16, and Roger, Kyra and Jack, 17. Altogether, there were 15 of them stranded on this island.

Finally, with that aside and the notepad stuck back in her bag, Kyra sat beside Ralph on the log. Piggy, who was unfortunately seated beside Roger, scooted closer to Kyra as if for safety.

"We have to figure out what to do. If we are going to be here a while, even for a few days, we need to have proper food and shelter in case it rains or such," Ralph started. "I suggest that-" he was cut off by Roger.

"Why are you making all the suggestions?" A sudden uproar of agreements arose until Ralph stood up and spoke over them.

"I was going to suggest that whoever wants to speak should take the conch as that's what led you all here," he said firmly. At once, everyone quieted down. Jack held his hand out for the conch and Ralph passed it to him.

"We need rules, and a chief to," he said. His eyes flew to Kyra. She found herself noticing the way he talked, how his voice held command but not demand. It was soft and deep and people listened to him and respected him. She felt his hot stare on her and met his gaze.

"Let's elect our chief first," he continued, his gaze never leaving hers, "and then we can make our rules."

Everyone nodded and Ralph took the conch from Jack. "Ok, we're going to need to elect someone chief, so we need at least two or three people who can take responsibility."

Jack opened his mouth to speak and Ralph thrust the conch into his hands as to not argue the ground rule. "Why don't we elect the oldest. It seems me, Roger and Kyra are oldest here, with you next Ralph."

Kyra eyed Roger. "Roger is out of the question," she spoke up. Somehow, even though she wasn't holding the conch, no one seemed to notice- or care. Roger looked up at her and his eyes burned. "I mean, in all honesty, you would make a very poor leader. I think we should elect either Ralph, since he called us here, or Jack, since he's the leader of the choir." She fell silent and she said the last part of her sentence. Her lips tingled as Jack's name rolled off her tongue and she could see him with a small hidden smile.

"Let's have a vote," Piggy insisted, after taking the conch from Jack. Everyone nodded. "Who wants Ralph?"

Piggy, Simon, Sam, Eric, Johnny, Percival and Kyra raised their hands.

"Who wants Jack?" Roger, Robert and Maurice's hands were instantly in the air. Henry and Bill raised their hands as well, but Michael kept his down.

"Who do you want Michael?" Kyra asked softly. Without looking at anyone else, he pointed directly at her.

"You," his voice was shy and quiet and silence fell upon them. All eyes were on her and Kyra was suddenly very aware she was the one girl on the island. "You're very nice, and you saved us," the little boy continued. Something buckled in Kyra and she blinked rapidly to mask her emotions. She, for once, was speechless.

"I think that's a great idea," Jack said standing up. "You're a girl, the only one here and the only one who survived, so you should be chief!" His words grew a rally of agreement that she should lead them but shaking her head she talked over them.

"No!, No, I won't. Ralph wins, he's our chief. If Michael chooses me, then his vote remains undecided and Ralph has 7, you have 5. That means Ralph wins." It seemed that as she talked, she left no room for argument and Ralph won the election. Ground rules were established, and Jack and his choir would be hunters for the group. The others would take care of shelters and fire and other necessities.

They decided to start in the morning and that everyone was to return to the lagoon and sleep there so that no one got lost. Because the afternoon sun was still overhead, Ralph asked Jack if he wanted to go explore the island so they knew their surroundings.

Once agreed upon, Ralph motioned for Simon to follow as well as Kyra. They stood and as they did, Jack withdrew the knife from his pocket and thrust it into the nearest tree trunk so it left a visible mark when he removed it. Kyra could see that Jack's eyes held something she couldn't quite understand and she had a sinking feeling it had something to do with not voting for him, though she kept telling herself why he would care so much. After much hesitation, Kyra obliged and followed the three on their trek across the island.

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A/N: Please read and review! I hope everyone enjoyed it!! Thanks to all the faithful readers and reviewers, you guys keep me writing! Sorry this is so short, the other chapters are all quite longer than this.


	4. Fire on the Mountain

**Disclaimer:** I do not on anything that belong to William Golding

**Claimer:** Kyra is my character (and anyone else you don't recognize)

**Rating:** T for mild language, M for later chapters

**A/N:** Wow, I know it has been forever since I've updated. But since this story has been hanging around in my computer for some time, I realized it's about time I post all my hard work and months of writing. Just a note, Kyra may seem a little Mary-Suish now, but trust me, she isn't at all. And also, to clarify one thing if I haven't already, her and Ralph are from America but moved to Britain when they were kids and then to Scotland when the war started**. **Ok, so on with the story! Please review my lovely readers! Hopefully you haven't forgotten about this story!!

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~Chapter 4: Fire on the Mountain~

The walk to the summit of the mountain on the island didn't take very long and soon Kyra, Ralph, Jack and Simon had reached the peak. It was located on the west side of the island and made of pink granite. From there, they could see the entire island. They could see the scar where chucks of burning metal had crashed into the land and then were swept out to sea. It was beside their bathing pool on the east side of the island with the lagoon just beyond the beach and the coral reef surrounding them. They could see the island wasn't very big, but large enough to keep them occupied. There was a lot of fruit that would provide the majority of food, and the lush dense jungle would provide shelter. Jack and Ralph were talking amongst themselves about being leaders and Kyra could see the beginnings of a new friendship.

She however, was lost in thought, and it appeared that Simon was as well. Only when he turned to them and said he was hungry did they all realize they hadn't eaten anything.

Proceeding down the cliff, they made their way through the creepers and trees of which were plenty. A squealing noise caught their attention and Jack noticed that it was a small piglet entangled in the creepers and vines. The other three watched as he pulled a knife out of his pocket and made to kill the pig, only to have it escape. He straightened out and looked straight ahead for a moment.

Then taking a step forward he said, "Come on, let's go back. It's getting late. Next time, I'll get that pig for us."

He marched forward and Simon and Ralph followed. Kyra hung back for a moment and then followed the three, all the while contemplating Jack's recent actions. She clearly saw the hesitation written on his face when he had drawn the knife and readied his strike. He wanted the food but didn't want to kill for it. As they walked, with Kyra trailing behind them, she could hear the three boys talking of how the thought of pig blood over their hands made them squirm. Kyra suspected this talk was to cover up Jack's inability to kill the pig yet retain his manliness as the oldest male (and person) on the island. Kyra also had a small suspecting feeling that he did it too just so she wouldn't think him a coward.

_But why would he care what I thought about it?_ She mused as they found their way to the beach.

From what she could see, the others on the beach were already curled up and huddled close to each other for warmth. The littluns were under the watchful eye of Piggy while Samneric slept close together and Robert nearby. Maurice and Roger were waiting up for the others and stood as they saw the four returning.

"What took you so long?" Roger asked, speaking particularly to Jack and Ralph. He pointedly avoided Simon and even more so disregarded Kyra's existence.

"We went through the jungle and climbed that mountain over there," Jack began, pointing to the mountain on his right in the distance.

"And then we found a pig all caught up in the vines," Ralph added to this. Roger suddenly looked excited.

"But Jack didn't kill it," Simon said quietly. Jack glared at him and then turned to Roger and Maurice who had joined them.

"I almost had it, but just as I was going to kill it, I decided to let it go so since we don't have any way of cooking it anyways," Jack explained. Maurice looked thoughtfully and Ralph spoke what the other was thinking.

"You know, we're going to need to build a fire in the morning to keep us warm and cook our food," he indicated.

"And as a way of rescue," someone put in from behind them. It was Kyra who had been standing behind them hidden in the shadows. Roger smirked and looked at her interestedly.

"Really, and who do you expect is going to find us in the middle of bloody nowhere," he said provokingly.

Kyra returned his smirk in an even crueler way and nearly matching his tone of voice answered, "Hundreds of ships pass through the Atlantic basin every week so if we have a fire, they'll see our smoke. With the right signals, we can call for help."

Just before she turned around to leave so she could find a sleeping spot, she added, "Unless, of course, you wish to have your lonely ass stranded on this island forever." She smirked again and mumbled something that sounded like, "I wouldn't mind," then left the boys to their talk.

Roger was fuming and Jack stood, letting out a sigh and trying not to laugh. "Let's get some sleep. We got a long day tomorrow if we're going to catch a pig and we'll need a fire to roast it."

"Leave that to me and my crew," Ralph said, and turned to find a spot on the beach where he could sleep. Tonight, everything remained quiet, a large contrast from the previous night of chaos. Ralph let himself succumb to sleep and wondered where his best friend had gone off to.

***

The next morning found Kyra up with the sun. It broke through the tops of the trees and provided just the right amount of warmth that made her feel like she was in bed. She stretched and was ready to make her way to the beach a little ways off when rustling in the forest made her stop.

"Probably another pig," she thought aloud, retrieving her bag from the ground beside her. "I have to find a place for you…a place no one will find you and take you," she said aloud again. As she turned to leave, the rustling started again, this time right behind her. She turned and came face to face with the one person she really didn't want to see early in the morning. It was Roger.

"Sleep well," he asked, his eyes hard and his voice sarcastic. She sighed annoyingly and began to walk away from him.

"Brilliantly, and you?" Her sarcasm matched his.

Evidently, he didn't like this as he responded more harshly than she would have thought. "No, I was missing you," and with that, turned her to face him. Her heart jumped to her throat at the unexpected contact but quickly subsided to anger as she realized he was cutting off the circulation in her arm.

"You'd better let me go," she warned.

"Or else?" Roger insisted.

Suddenly, Kyra was sure, Roger regretted his words for she had pulled from her bootstrap her knife and shoving him into a tree (which he clearly hadn't expected because Kyra was sure she wasn't that strong), held it fast to his throat.

"Or else I'll leave a hole in your throat." She shoved herself away from him and sprinted into the distance until she was sure she was far away from him. She paused for breath and listened a while for any sound. Finding none, she continued to walk through the jungle's undergrowth and low lying branches until she saw what could only be the most beautiful thing on the island.

Hiding underneath all the branches with moss covering the exterior rocks lay a spring full of crystal clear blue water that looked like paradise. Kyra, overwhelmed by her findings, decided to test it out. She opened her bag and peered through its contents. Aside from the notepad and pen, it also carried a pink patterned cotton dress which she decided to change into, as well as some undergarments and hair products and also a towel. Her mother had prepared it for her saying that she must always carry these things in case she lost her luggage in America. It looked like her mother had been right, except they were far from America.

She pulled out the towel and dress and the hair products and set them on a flat stone nearer the water. Then finding a large enough hole, she stuffed her bag into it and stripped away her dirty jeans and black tank top. She threw them onto another rock beside her clean clothes and pulled the towel around her as she removed her underwear and bra and stepped slowly into the water. It was the perfect temperature and she put the towel on the rocks as she plunged in.

She swam for a bit and then surfaced for air, deciding to wash her dirty clothes and leave them to dry on the rocks. As she laid them out to dry, she took in her surroundings from the inside of the spring. The boulders were enormous enough to shelter her from anyone's eyes with only a narrow passage to get in and out. They seemed to jut inwards to make a sort of roof, leaving it open enough to catch the sunlight and warm the water. The trees were high and tall in this area and they made it even more guarded. The smooth, light grey of the stone was covered with entangled vines and moss on the outside, but inside, the stones were silky smooth and easy to climb.

All she hoped as she enjoyed her bath and washed her hair was that no one ever found this place, or if they did, they never used it.

***

Back on the beach, everyone was well awake and Jack had taken his choir, whom he called his hunters, to forage for food and possibly kill a pig. It was almost noon when Kyra appeared on the beach to find Ralph and the others already with semi-built structures for their shelters.

There were three as of right now. One was for the 5 littluns who would be together, another for Simon, Robert, Samneric, and Piggy, and the third would be for Ralph and Maurice. He also explained that there were going to be two more shelters built, one for Jack and Roger and one for Kyra.

"Okay, so what needs to be done," she asked Ralph after a moment.

"We need a fire, so we're trying to figure out how to build one while we build these shelters. Any ideas?" Ralph asked his best friend.

"No, I'm out…," she trailed off. "Give me a minute or so, let me collect some things in the forest for us to eat and use for the shelter and I'll see what I can come up with."

Turning, she left the forest and left the boys to their work. Ralph watched as Samneric and Simon began the framing for the fourth shelter while Piggy was instructing the littluns what to do. Ralph joined the twins and Simon as Piggy managed the three shelters and completed them with the help of the children.

***

"FOOD!" Kyra's voice rang out over the beach. The children immediately flew over to her. It had been about an hour or so since she had left them and Ralph was shocked when all he saw in her hands was a large log. A closer inspection at the log and he saw she had found a log with a hollow in it and stuffed it with fruit for them. The others joined the littluns as she set down the log. As they ate in silence, Ralph seemed to be lost in thought, his eyes looking into the distant, unfocused and trance-like.

A few minutes later Ralph decided to call an assembly and blew the conch. Within a few minutes, everyone had arrived and seated themselves on the beach near Ralph and the others. For a while Jack and Ralph took turns (by sharing the conch) to analyze the island.

At last Ralph concluded in a tone that was halfway between relieved and yet anxious, "The island's a good place to support us for the time being. We don't have to worry about anything hurting us or attacking us."

As he finished, Michael, a littlun with a mulberry coloured birthmark stood up and Ralph handed him the conch so he could speak.

"There's a beastie on the island. I saw it; it's a snake-thing. It came after dark," he said in a quiet raspy voice as if hurrying his speech would make him forget what he saw. He stood there as Ralph took the conch from him and looked around at everyone expression. The littluns, he noticed, seemed to be almost perplexed with fear. Simon and Piggy were neutral with no expression in the matter and all the older ones looked as if it was nonsense.

Agreeing with the latter, Ralph assured Michael. "Don't worry, there's no beastie on the island."

Jack took the conch and backed Ralph up. "Yeah, trust us, there ain't a thing on this island that can hurt us, and if there is, us hunters will hunt it down and kill it!" For a brief moment, his eyes flashed angrily, like approaching death. In the darkness of the overshadowing trees, Kyra watched and listened.

Ralph turned his attention then on building a fire. "There's only one way to get rescued and that's to build a fire. The best place, I think, is on top of that mountain, the one we climbed yesterday."

As soon as the others had agreed, Jack stood up and led the way, the littluns following him in utter excitement, gathering with them branches and leaves and logs to start a fire. Soon there, they arranged their gathering into a neat pile, and then waited. Jack turned to Ralph who was just arriving with Piggy and Kyra.

Realizing they had no means of lighting the fire, Ralph turned to Piggy and asked, "Do you have any matches?"

Annoyed at his incompetence, Jack, with a sudden idea, walked over to Piggy and took his glasses in a flash that no one had registered what had happened.

"Hey those are mine, give them back," Piggy whined, walking forward to make a grab for them. Roger, seeing this, stepped in front of Piggy and blocked his path.

"Don't," warned Kyra. She looked at Piggy who was beside her and then to Roger.

"Get away from him," she said bluntly and with his hands in the air, he backed away as if innocent.

Meanwhile, Jack was concentrating the sun's light into the spectacles but nothing was happening.

Observing the pile of logs, Kyra told him in a voice she didn't realize was her own (it was way to gentle), "It won't work like that," and then holding her hands out for the glasses said, "Here, let me show you." Gazing at Jack with adamant eyes, he placed them in her hands and she began to light the fire.

First, removing the larger logs from the top so she could see the lighter twigs, she focused on them and not a minute had passed when tendrils of white smoke began to swirl into the air. Finally after catching aflame, she placed the larger logs on top and returning the glasses to Piggy, stood back.

Jack looked at what Kyra had done. Inside, he felt a little stupid for not realizing his mistake sooner before Kyra had. He visibly shook his head. _Why do I care about impressing anyone?_ He thought silently. Roger, Maurice and Robert were bickering behind him and he turned and gave them a look that shut them all up.

"We've got to have rules and obey them. After all, we're not savages," Jack began, his voice growing confident. "We're English, and the English are the best at everything," Jack added triumphantly. Then looking at Ralph and Kyra, who wore slightly irritated looks, he quickly said, "And the Americans…but you're still English."

Kyra and Ralph exchanged looks and smiled. "Someone is going to have to take care of it, constantly…always," Ralph instructed after a minute.

"I will," Kyra volunteered. "I'll take care of it, although I am going to need replacements sometimes."

"Whenever you want someone to take over, just tell me and I'll send my hunters up here to take care of it," Jack offered instantly. Kyra agreed. As they continued to talk, no one was keeping an eye on the fire until Piggy spoke up.

"It was no use, there was hardly any smoke. It was pointless to have the fire." Everyone turned around to see what Piggy was talking about and fell silent as they watched the fire die.

Jack argued. "The fire will be enough to signal for help. We'll just ad more logs to it." He was either trying to pretend that the fire was almost dead or he was oblivious to it.

"Stop interrupting me, I have the conch!" Piggy demanded, but was shot down by Jack who growled in a low whisper as if he only wanted Piggy to hear.

"The conch doesn't count on the mountain." He turned and was going to leave when he noticed everyone staring in the opposite direction.

Turning to face the same way, they all watched in horror as the sparks from the nearly dead fire had caught onto some dead grass…which was working its way up the trunk of a dying tree. Slowly it began to ignite, and then another tree, and then another, until a clear path of trees down the side of the mountain were in flames, burning to ashes.

"You got your small fire all right," Piggy said to no one in particular. "You ought to all be more responsible."

"Shut up! It wasn't our fault! The fire got out of control!" Jack snarled, refusing to listen to reason.

"We need more smoke, not fire so much," Ralph interjected, clearly not thinking about the issue at hand.

"Piggy's right, all of you should see that. We lit the fire, we controlled it, and so we we're at fault for not watching it," Kyra argued with all of them. "Piggy has a point, we need to be more careful, or we'll end up scorching out the whole island and I don't plan to starve to death here."

With that said and after a little more bickering between everyone, the fire was renewed with a few more small branches and a pile of wood was on top of the mountain to refuel the fire when needed. As they left Kyra alone on the mountain with an overhanging piece of rock as her current shelter, she counted one less than their original number.

"We're missing one," she called behind Ralph who was the last one to leave.

He, along with Jack, Maurice, Roger, Piggy, Simon and Samneric all turned around.

"What do you mean, missing one? Where all here…there's 1, 2 …9 of us here, Robert's down there and the 5 littluns-"

"No, there are only 4. I only counted 4 littluns. Henry, Percival, Bill, and Johnny…but Michael's not here," she trailed off and they knew she was looking towards the remaining part of the burnt jungle.

"Piggy was right…we weren't careful…and now…," Ralph started, but looked down for he couldn't say what he knew everyone was thinking.

"And now, we've killed one of our own, when we said we'd protect them," Kyra finished for him, not looking at anyone. They all stayed a moment looking over the mountain towards the horizon, watching the remains of the sun sink below the horizontal line of the blue ocean in the distance.

And then they left, leaving Kyra alone and in peace, and in deep thought about this evening's events.

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**A/N: Thanks for reviewing you guys. Sorry for the horrible wait. To be extra nice, I'm putting chapter 5 up too, so you have double to read. REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!**


	5. Lust, Love and the Unwilling

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing

**Claimer:** Anything you don't recognize as Lord of the Flies

**Rating:** This chapter and all future chapters will be rated M as content is unsuitable for younger children. You have been warned.

**A/N:** So, I got two chapters up in less than an hour since you all deserve it. Just so you know, there are a lot of lines throughout the story that are taken from the book, so my thanks goes to William Golding. Anyways, that's all, have a good read and please, please, pretty please review!!!!

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**~Chapter 5: Lust, Love and the Unwilling~**

It had been four days since the fire on the mountain and since Michael's death. Kyra was caretaker for the fire, adding thick leaves to give off dark smoke. However, as this was a waste, she would only add leaves when they saw a passing ship.

Piggy had decided to build a sun dial to keep track of the time, and currently, it was about 11 in the morning. Today, for once, this paradise island wasn't drowning in humid air, but was rather warm with a nice constant breeze that would satisfy anyone.

Down below the mountain summit, hiding in the forest, Jack was busy tracking a pig. He had not killed any yet, but was becoming increasingly good at tracking them and finding them. He had sharpened a stick with his knife and listened intently. The trampling sound of pigs' hooves could be heard and Jack realized he had lost his chance to kill the pig. He made for the beach in search of the others.

Upon reaching his destination, he noticed that Ralph and Simon were the only ones on the beach finishing the shelters. In the past few days, everyone else had abandoned attempt and Jack, now in full control of his hunters, had taken them off to hunt. This left Ralph, Piggy and Simon as Kyra was up on the mountain, unless she asked Jack to put Samneric to watch so she could "stretch a bit" as she called it. That usually involved gathering food for the young ones, who always seemed to find her, and helping out with the building of shelters (which had been considerably slowed due to the scorching heat and humidity as well). She would also disappear off into the forest where no one could find her. After all the jungle was only _so big_.

Noticing Jack's return, Ralph spoke to him. "We need more people to help us. We got to finish these so we don't get rained on."

For a moment, Jack didn't answer but then replied slowly, "Wait till we get our first kill, then we'll have food and they'll help."

"Shelter's more important. We have food, plenty of it. And healthy too," Ralph argued, his words strained as he tugged a tough vine into a knot.

He paused and switched the topic to a more sensitive one. "They talk about the beastie more and more, and keep having nightmares, you see it, and you know how they are." Ralph continued to knot some more vines and then proceeded to the next corner where he continued the same process.

"When I'm out hunting sometimes," Jack began after a moment of watching Ralph, "when I'm alone, I feel like I'm not hunting…but being hunted."

"It's like something's behind you in the jungle, following you, isn't it?" He turned and saw Kyra trailing out of the forest. "I got Samneric to cover for me."

"How do you know?" Jack asked turning to face her, his eyebrow raised.

"I feel it to, when I come down from the mountain to my-" she paused, not wanting to tell them about the spring- "to my uh, walks, in the forest…or for food."

"Still, I want to catch a pig before we get rescued," Jack continued as before, turning to Ralph again. The latter paused in his work and sighed.

"Look, we need to give these littluns some kind of home, otherwise they'll be scared forever," Ralph insisted. Not willing to discuss the topic any further, Jack turned to head back into the forest.

"We need meat," he said firmly. "And I know where they're hiding." He fled into the forest and was hidden at once in the dense jungle.

Watching him go, Kyra turned to help Ralph. Simon was quietly working on the other side of the fourth shelter and Piggy was sitting down taking in some breaths of air. The heat sure didn't help his asthma.

Two shelters were fully erected, complete with a nice fluffy layer of leaves for bedding over a row of tightly bound logs.

"You should go relax Simon," Kyra said, walking over to him and taking his place. "I'll stay here a while."

"It's ok, I don't mind," he replied and it was probably the first time Kyra had heard him speak.

Even when he talked, she could see he held a quality which few had, especially on this island. Not even she had, at least she didn't think so. His calmness in the midst of the war, in the middle of their abandonment, radiated from him and Kyra smiled, taking the twine from him so that he had no choice but to leave. Thanking her again, he set off into the forest, and like Jack, disappeared.

***

Twilight was arriving and the littluns had already come to the beach and hid inside their shelter for fear of the beast. Kyra, still there on Jack and Ralph's request (more Jack's than Ralph's), sat by the littluns and told them not to be afraid because if anything was going to hurt them, Jack would get to it first.

"Right Jack?" She asked as she watched him staring into thin air. He blinked at his name.

"Yeah…I'll kill it, whatever it is," he said firmly, though he held a strange tone of awe or fascination as if he'd seen an angel or fairy in the air before him.

"See I told you. Now go to sleep, all of you. It's late, and your mama's would not like you being bad children, now would they?" Kyra soothed. They all shook her head as she sat at the edge of the hut, watching the 4 littluns try to sleep. Leaning against one of the posts, she began to hum softly a tune they all knew so well.

Softly, the words to the song began to escape her lips, and in a very quiet and subtle voice, she sang a soft melody that even put Piggy, Simon and Robert to sleep.

Her voice faded into the night air. Standing quietly so she didn't disturb the littluns, she left the beach and headed to the mountains for her own bed.

Arriving, she bid Samneric a thank you and goodnight and settled into the shelter she had made for herself just like the ones on the beach. She closed her eyes after tending to the fire and remembered the past few days. They had haunted her like no other, and she was glad for the safety of the mountain where she knew Roger would not find her.

After her first scare by him followed by her threat, Roger was becoming increasing hostile and cruel, often following her. She could hear him sometimes, but pretended not to hear him. She never went near the spring as she didn't want him seeing.

It was two days ago where she was wearing the same pink patterned dress she was wearing today, except without the jeans. It had been extremely hot and Jack had sent Robert and Maurice up to mind the fire. She was waking towards the spring when loud rustling told her someone was behind her and she had a feeling she knew who it was. She was right, and not a moment later, Roger came from behind her and grabbed her hand. Repulsed, she wrenched herself from his grip and told him to get lost.

A sudden force knocked Kyra into a tree so she was backed up against it, her hands clamped to her sides by the weight of his body. "I don't like to be told what to do," he had snarled in her ear with such venom, she thought he was going to kill her. "You're not going to tell anyone about this, are you, my princess, because that's what you are," he said in the same tone, sliding his free hand over her leg and then higher into her thigh.

She squirmed but only made it worse as the tree scratched her and he held her fast. His right hand was playing with her hair, and with one last look at her, he firmly pressed his lips to her in a forceful kiss which she didn't return. He let her go but not before his final warning.

"Tell anyone…and you'll be sorry…."

She had been left shivering and shaking and not knowing what to do. Upon seeing Jack that night, she had fled from him to the mountain lest she tell him everything and die.

Reality found its way back to Kyra as footsteps echoed lightly on the stone. She looked up and saw Jack, her brief look of terror suddenly gone. She stood and straightened out her dress.

"What are you doing up here?" she asked quietly. He didn't answer right away but noticed, instead, how she talked quietly and with such calm that he could have fallen asleep right there. She had lost her sense of control, and seemed to be in his.

"I thought you'd like some company," he answered, finally looking at her. "It's okay if you don't though, I'll go, I don't mind," he added, seeing that her expression hadn't changed.

"No," she began quickly. _Too quickly_, she thought. "I mean, stay a while. It gets lonely up here sometimes."

He nodded, a small smile forming on his features. He sat beside her in the shelter and watched the fire for a second.

"Why don't you want anyone else up here?"

She stopped fidgeting with her dress and looked at him thoughtfully. "Because I'm an independent woman, and I can take care of myself."

"But you said you get lonely, didn't you?" he argued.

"I said sometimes," she started, raising her voice a little, and she stood to walk a little towards the edge of the cliff. "Sometimes I get lonely, but I want my privacy and I like the night and quiet," she finished a little more softly.

She turned back to face him and saw that he was looking interestedly at her. "What?"

"Nothing, nothing," he said, pretending to look in another direction.

"Oh, come on, please?" she pleaded with him. He shook his head and continued staring at the sky.

"Alright, I'm sorry ok. Sometimes I get a little…" she paused, stuck for words when Jack finished her sentence.

"Flustered?"

"How about frustrated?" she stated rather than asked, raising her eyebrows for approval.

"Ok, frustrated. But about what?"

"Why are you so interested in what I think?" she asked him this time, walking forward to poke the fire with a stick.

"Because I think you're interesting," he answered boldly. She paused, with the stick halfway in the fire that it was starting to burn. Only when the flames began to lick the wood did she realize and drop it.

"Ouch! I'm not that interesting you know," she got up to put her finger in some water that she had brought on to the mountain, but as she turned, Jack caught her wrist and held her fast.

"I think so," he said again, closing the distance between them, "and that's all that matters, is what I think." And without hesitation, he placed his lips on hers in a soft kiss that she was mildly aware of because her stomach was doing a happy dance. She was falling into the kiss when she opened her eyes and pushed him away from her, turning her back to him and holding her wounded finger close to her body.

"I can't…we can't…Jack please, just go…" she ordered him.

She could feel his eyes burning into her and she knew he nodded as he left for she could hear the rapid yet light footsteps as he fled to the base of the mountain, obviously happy.

"This can't be happening…." She sighed as she curled up in bed, forgetting about the stinging pain of the burn on her finger.

***

Late afternoon found Kyra soaking in the spring, hiding from Roger. He had, the previous day, 'attacked' her again, this time riding his hands up higher into her thighs and even more sensitive places. She had pushed herself away from him, only to have him clamp his hand round her mouth and pull her by her hair towards him. She refused to cry, but at the time, had no choice. Tears had come to her eyes and she had wept them. He let her go, leaving her on the forest floor saying he would return, and one day, would claim his "prize".

Drying off and changing into the dress, she fled to the beach where she knew she would be safe with Ralph.

Arriving, her friend embraced her. "It's been ages," he joked. "Samneric up there?" he asked after, inquiring about the fire. She nodded and he noticed something was different in her features and her eyes.

"You okay, you look like you haven't been sleeping properly."

"Ralph, have any of us?" he nodded in agreement and the three, Piggy included, sat in the shade of the shelters discussing things of life.

Mid way through their conversation Ralph abruptly stopped talking and stared at the horizon. "I swear I just saw steam on the horizon!"

Rising and running to the shore, he spotted a ship in the distance. He looked to the mountain, and a panic-stricken look came across his face. At a pace meant only for an Olympic runner, he fled up the mountain side, the others on his tail, and coming to a halt, stood in front of a dead fire with no one there to watch.

"My god…but Ralph, I swear, they were here!" Kyra exclaimed. "They had said they weren't going anywhere!"

"This is Jack's doing." Ralph said pointedly and then there was silence.

***

Meanwhile, deep in the forest, Roger was tormenting the littluns and destroying their sandcastles with Maurice at his side. Roger, who was already bored of this meager excitement, left Maurice alone and hid behind a tree, throwing small pebbles at Henry who was playing in the water. Though he never aimed to hit, he continued tormenting the young child until someone appeared in the forest behind him. It was Jack.

But he wasn't alone, and he wasn't the same. Samneric and Robert were with him and all four had painted their faces with moistened clay that they'd found. Roger, immediately wanting to join them accepted Jack's proposal, and soon, the 5 hunters were off, face-painted, war-ridden savages with a desire to kill and a callous feeling for life.

It was their time, they could feel it. With Jack in the lead, his 4 hunters followed loyally, stalking their prey as they moved silently through the jungle. At long last, they found her, and with one swift stroke, her body lay stiff and bloody on the forest floor.

***

It was dusk, the sky not yet dark, but the daytime sun was fading fast behind the far sea. The three friends on top of the mountain turned as the sound of heavy footstep came up the side of the mountain. And then, within minutes, 6 boys, carrying about their shoulders a stake through which the gutted carcass of a pig was thrust, arrived on the mountain, and set down their catch. Their chant faded as they straightened out and came face to face with a very unpleasant looking Ralph.

It took one look at the pig and Ralph was at Jack's throat. "I thought you said Samneric were here! They were supposed to look after the fire!"

"Isn't that your job," Roger asked sarcastically, pointing a finger a Kyra.

She took a step forward, aiming to hit him, but Maurice held her back. She pushed herself away from him and walked to where the fire was out. She began to rearrange the logs to begin a new fire.

"A ship passed by, you know that! A BLOODY SHIP! WE COULD HAVE BEEN RESCUED!" Ralph shouted at Jack. At the mention of the ship, all eyes fell to their leader, and everyone went quiet.

Piggy spoke from the corner. "I told you, all of you, you need to be careful, and you need to watch the fire. Ralph's right, we could have-"

What Piggy had intended to say no one ever found out, because with one iron fisted hand, Jack delivered a slap to his face that echoed atop the mountain. Piggy flew to the floor as well as his glasses, breaking one of the lenses. Simon, appearing from nowhere, made a grab for the lens, and successfully catching it, handed it back to Piggy.

Kyra was by her friend's side in a minute making sure he was alright. After asking to use his glasses, she lit the fire in the dim light and returned them to Piggy. Jack and his hunters, disregarding the others, began to quarter the pig and roast it.

"I'm sorry Ralph, Piggy, this is all my fault," Kyra whispered to them. "If I hadn't let them watch, this wouldn't have happened. We would be on our way to America by now."

"No, it's not your fault, it's his and he knows it but he won't say anything lest we think him coward," Ralph concluded as he sat down in the circle they began to make. Kyra sat beside him, with Piggy beside her and Simon beside him. Once the pig was roasted, Jack cut chunks of meat off and handed it to each person.

There was only Piggy, Simon, and Kyra left to serve. Jack had just given a piece to Simon and was carving the largest piece yet to give to Kyra. He passed it to her but she sat there, staring at it, and then, when Jack cut no more and left Piggy without food, she stood up.

With her back to them, she said, "Have it Piggy, I don't want tainted meat."

"Tainted meat?" Jack repeated, insulted. Simon too, at that moment, after taking a bite, gave his to Piggy as well.

"Here have mine to," Simon insisted and Piggy looked at the meat as though it was gold.

Jack was enraged. His face, the war paint now melting away in some areas, showed the raging emotion inside of him. He vigorously cut another piece of meat and threw it at Simon, saying angrily, "Eat! Damn you!" he was carving another piece, this one they knew, was for Kyra. "I painted my face…I stole up. Now you eat…all of you…and I…," his words were lost and the disgusted look that Kyra gave him made him feel like nothing.

"I'd never eat anything you ever gave me…tainted with your evil heart, your black heart, for that's exactly what you have!" Kyra began in an outrage, though instead of yelling, her voice turned icy.

"All of you! All of you who eat have become what you fear, what you hate in others, and what you will, I trust, come to hate in yourselves! And for god's sake, take your fire next time, and leave my place alone!"

"This isn't your place!" Jack retorted quickly. It was more of a way to keep her there rather than arguing with her. He just wanted her presence.

"It may as well be because I can't think of a single damn person here who cares if we get home or stay on this god-forsaken island."

And when Jack didn't argue, she took that as her leave, but turning around in time to see Ralph, Roger and Simon follow her, she said, in a menacing low voice, "If any one of you so dare follow me, god help you."

And she left, the blade of her knife glinting in the fire as she climbed down the mountain and to the beach.

* * *

**A/N: YAY! Two chapters up in one day LOL! Hope you guys are really liking it and please review. It means alot to me. Thanks!!!!**


	6. Beast From Air

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, don't sue me

**Claimer:** So yeah...Kyra is mine

**Rating: **M for language and mature themes

**Author's Note:** So it's been a while and I'm sorry but I've posted two chapters and maybe tomorrow if I have time I'll post another one. Please read and review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Lol, enjoy the story everyone, thanks for reviewing, it really makes writing this worthwhile.

* * *

~Chapter 6: Beast from Air~

The tension was thick, and the dividing line between who could be trusted and who one wanted to trust was quickly dissolving. After Kyra's departure, they had sat in silence, eating and not talking lest they cause new problems. Jack was no longer eating, his appetite gone when Kyra left.

And then, suddenly, the soft humming of a ritualistic chant- of a death song. It started low, and then grew louder and louder so that even on the beach, Kyra could hear their waned battle cries and cruel laughter. Ralph, no longer able to take it, stood with Piggy by his side and announced, over the chant, "I'm calling an assembly. I don't care if its night!"

He and Piggy headed to the beach where they encountered Kyra, walking around the beach fuming. Looking at the two figures arriving on her premises, her eyes narrowed but she noticed that Ralph and Piggy weren't searching for her. They went directly to the place the conch was kept and with one long breath of air, Ralph let out a long call that drew everyone to the beach within seconds. Noticing the crowd, she went up to Ralph.

"I'm going back up to the mountain," she told him.

"No, you're staying here," he said decisively.

"Someone has to watch the fire," she argued. He shook his head.

"It doesn't matter about that, you can tend to the fire when we finish. I'm sure there's enough logs for it not to die," Ralph insisted. His voice was dry and held a great deal of anger, something Kyra realized, he never used before. She complied, but remained hidden behind the trees as the boys came and drew up a circle around the three.

Ralph began the meeting by talking about lack of help and how things were being started and never finished, like the shelters and how there was no water in the coconuts anymore. Then he ventured into the sensitive topic of fire.

"It's the most important thing we've got on this island," Ralph continued though the attention spans of the others seemed to dwindle. "Piggy was right, look what happened last time, we almost set the island on fire! We ought to die before we let the fire go out. It's more important than the pig and killing," he finished.

The littluns laughed, not taking his words to heart, and he became annoyed. His face creased with thought, Ralph spoke again. "Things are breaking up. I don't understand why. We began well; we were happy. And then…then people started getting frightened."

He paused as thoughts of the Beast came to their minds. Then a littlun by the name of Johnny said, "I have nightmares of it! It's something big and horrid!"

It turned out that the big and horrid 'Beast' was Simon who had been walking in the forest, and Johnny had been sleepwalking when he saw Simon and believed him to be the beast.

Then, Percival stood and said it came from the water, quickly followed by assurance from Ralph and even, surprisingly, Jack, that nothing was on the island but them.

"I've been everywhere on this island and I ain't seen this beast," Jack reassured everyone. It seemed then that no one had anything to say, but everyone watched interestedly as Piggy took the conch carefully from Ralph and made, what Kyra believed to be, an extremely intelligent speech.

"Life is…scientific. I know there isn't a beast…at least not with claws, and all that. But I know that there isn't fear either…unless we get frightened of people."

"Fear can't hurt you any more than a dream," Jack argued, his voice suddenly unbearably cold with a certain insensitivity Kyra had not thought him capable of. She was beginning to question her opinion of him, and whether he was truly as kind as he let off to her, and her only. "There aren't any beasts to be afraid of on this island. Serve you right if something did get you, you useless lot of cry-babies!"

Everyone remained silent, not knowing what to say or where to begin until Simon took the conch from Piggy and said, very slowly and with such confidence that, even behind the trees, Kyra could feel it radiating from him.

"Maybe there is a beast," he began and all eyes fell on Simon. "What I mean is…maybe it's only us."

There was a deadly silence as if they were attending a funeral. Kyra could see the anger and annoyance coming from Jack and she was almost glad he couldn't see her.

"You're a bunch of babies to believe in that!" he said finally, his tone hard as stone.

"No, they're not, maybe you should open your eyes and see the truth in what Simon and Piggy are saying," Kyra spoke up finally. She withdrew herself from the trees, staring down at Jack and the others as if wishing them to hell.

"That's not fair!" Roger complained suddenly. "Why do you get to speak without the conch and no one even cares?"

"Apparently you do," she snapped back wrathfully.

"Because she's a girl," Jack spoke up. His voice had changed from the harsh coldness to a gentler one, but his anger was still evident.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Roger said, standing and looking just as angry as Jack, who was on his feet in an instant and was staring Roger down.

"Because I said so, she's a girl and that's the end of it!" Some of the others agreed and as Maurice agreed with Jack and told Roger to sit down, he could have sworn he saw something different in his leader's eyes. It was as if Jack's only want was to protect Kyra and it was in that moment that a very strange but logical thought dawned on him. Jack was falling madly in love with Kyra.

_No, he's already in love with her,_ Maurice mused, thinking of all the times Jack had saved her life and helped her. He was brought to reality as Jack and Ralph continued to argue.

"Why do we have to listen to you?" Jack complained. "You can't hunt, nor can you sing."

"Because I was chosen, so that's reason enough!" Ralph countered. Ralph was losing hope and the thought of the world outside their own became very clear to him. Everything they had established was falling apart, like an assassination on the government. The world, that lawful and understandable world, was slipping away. When neither argued anymore, Jack stood and obediently, so did his hunters. They turned and dispersed into the forest, free to do what they wished.

Only Simon, Piggy and Kyra remained with Ralph. Even the littluns had left to bed.

"Go on being chief," Simon declared out of nowhere. And then with a reassuring hand on his shoulder, Ralph looked up at his best friend as she stood behind him.

"Simon's right. You can't stop. Even if they go against you, you have us, always."

Piggy and Simon nodded and then the quartet of friends parted, one by one and headed off to their respected beds, Kyra heading back up to the mountain's summit.

"If only something grown-up would come and save us…would give us a sign…," Ralph trailed off as he fell asleep, for once, disregarding the cries of the littluns.

Little did he know that his prayers would be answered in ways he had never dreamed of.

***

It was almost evening the next day as Samneric tended to the fire. Kyra had been gone since the early morning and the twins were beginning to wonder how she could stand being so alone on the mountain. A gust of wind made the trees stir from their stillness and the twins looked around them. All they could see was the wide expanse of the jungle.

It was only when they heard a battle cry and a ceremonial chant did they have desire to leave the mountain. They didn't have to wait long as Kyra returned and the twins fled off towards the rising call. Wondering what was happening, Kyra walked to the edge of the cliff and peered across the treetops towards the beach. Clearly, in the dimming light, she could see the hunters, without a catch, performing their insane dance. But what made her blood freeze wasn't that they were dancing, it was what they were doing. She noticed that they were in an almost uniform circle, surrounding one boy, whom she couldn't tell, and that he pretended to cry as if wounded, the sounds magnified by the closeness of the island.

And so, knowing this would lead nowhere good, she grabbed a large branch and wrapping it with some twine, vines and creepers, she lit it and fled to the beach to stop this madness. It was only when she arrived that she witnessed what was really happening.

Robert was in the centre of the circle, the hunters surrounding him, each with a stick sharpened at one end; their spears. They were pulling at him, pretending to kick him or strike him, all the while chanting, "Kill the pig! Cut her throat! Spill her blood!" over and over. Robert wailed, mocking that of an injured animal, laughing as he did so. And then, what Kyra feared, and what no one expected, happened.

As they circled Robert and their spears came closer to his body, closing in on him, he began to shout for them to get away. Kyra could hear it over their chant and she knew he was serious. But the others took it as pretend; as part of the game. She watched as Roger raised his spear, and she ran forward as it struck the ground and a blood-curling scream echoed in the air.

She ran to him as the others spread back, finally aware of the damage they had done. She looked at Roger with gorgon's eyes that he had to look away. He gathered the littluns and all the others and they headed back to the huts, the children told to stay in the shelter so they couldn't see what had happened.

Jack, Maurice and Simon carried Robert back to the camp. The spear had struck clean into his leg, and had been pulled out. It was then that the hunters saw the blood and knew they had hurt him. Piggy trailed behind Kyra as the boys laid him on the sand of the beach. He was bleeding profusely, and as soon as his body was laid down, Kyra had drawn her knife and spilt the pant leg open. She was very aware that none of the boys (those being Robert, Jack, Roger, Maurice, and Samneric) were wearing shirts, just their jeans or khakis, and it made her somewhat uncomfortable. Simon and Piggy had already filled several coconuts with water to wash the wound and they arrived with two more each, setting them by Kyra.

Using the piece of cloth from Robert's pant leg, she soaked it in water and cleaned the wound, putting pressure to stop the bleeding. She could see Robert's eyes, how they were glazed, almost incomprehensive. He was blinking, trying to focus but numbed by his pain. His mouth was moving but no words were escaping.

After a half hour, the blood, though not as intense as before, was still flowing from the wound. Watching as his mouth tried to form words, Kyra desperately tried to aid him, but was rendered helpless. He was shaking his head and tears were starting to form.

_It's like he knows he's going to die or-_, Kyra stopped thinking for a moment and shook her head. _He would only die if the bleeding didn't stop but-_

Her thoughts were interrupted by Roger, who asked, almost seriously, "Is he ok?"

A sudden rage filled her and she faced him.

"No! No, he's not going to be ok and its entirely-your-stupid-fault!" Kyra ground out, her teeth clenched so tightly she thought her teeth would pop out. Roger took a step back.

"It was an accident! We were having fun!" Roger protested, his voice rising in defense.

"Fun? That wasn't fun! You- all of you- knew this could happen! He won't stop bleeding and he knows it and that's what he's been trying to tell me!" She spoke fast but her words were as clear as day. It seemed her anger reached its peak and Jack could see she wanted to hit him.

Reaching for her left arm, he touched it and she faced him. "What?" she asked, a little more harshly than she intended.

"Why won't he stop bleeding? What's wrong with him?" Jack asked sincerely.

Whether her anger subsided, or she was doing a very good job at hiding it, he didn't know, but she answered him all the same.

"He's has hemophilia, which means he either needs stitches or medication to stop the bleeding. His body can't do it alone. There's only one thing I can do, and that's burn the wound closed, but it risks infection and a slower death." She finished, looking from Jack's face to Robert's.

He was almost unconscious, she could tell, but he had heard her. He shook his head vigorously and she bent down, asking him what it was.

"No…burn…no…," he breathed, no longer able to string his words together.

She nodded. She knew he would rather die like this, slowly, but at least not painfully. Somehow, even though she tried to close her mind from it, she knew what would happen. His body would slowly begin to numb, the blood retreating to the heart, brain and lungs, keeping him breathing and alive. Then, his brain and lungs would collapse followed shortly after by the heart, which, without oxygen and blood, would stop.

There was nothing anyone could do. They watched slowly as Robert died, his eyes closed, as his breath softened to the point where his chest no longer heaved. And then, around an hour and a half since they had laid him on the beach, Kyra checked his pulse, and in finding none, stood up. She was visibly shaking and a vein in her temple was pulsing. They had no idea what she was capable of as none had ever seen her like this before. Jack and Ralph exchanged glances.

"Come," Ralph pleaded with his best friend. "We need to rest."

She turned on him.

"Rest then, if you will, while I do what I should have done a long time ago." Kyra held no tone in her voice to suggest such violence as her next move. She pushed past Ralph and the two boys saw her making a beeline for Roger. He was staring at his feet and didn't notice her until she made contact with his shoulder by pushing him.

By this time, Jack had already caught up to her and was holding her back, though she fought him with amazing strength.

"You did this, you- you…bastard!" she shouted at him. "Let me go so I can rip him to pieces!" she yelled at Jack who put even more pressure on her arms that she cried in pain. It was the only way to keep her from killing Roger.

"We were all playing," Roger shot back from a distance. Whether it was his attacks on Kyra plus tonight's recent events that had riled her up, she didn't know, but she did know that she wanted him dead- and she was going to do it. Finally, no longer able to take the pain from resisting Jack, she let herself fall into his hold so that he didn't have to use so much force.

"Let go of me already," she almost pleaded, her voice still angry and he loosened his grip but didn't completely let her go in case she lunged at Roger again. Only when Roger had been pulled to the hut and was out of sight did Jack let her go.

She rubbed the spots on her arms where his grip had been like iron and stalked towards the forest to disappear within it, leaving the boys looking down at the body of Robert lying lifeless on the beach.

"We'll bury him in the morning, on the other side," Jack announced.

No one argued and he turned and entered the hut where he slept. Ralph, Maurice and Simon were the only three who remained on the beach, in contemplative silence, until well into the night so that everything around them, including the ocean, was black.

Each was thinking silently, lost in their thoughts about the events that had occurred since day one on the island. Food, government, family, school, home…it all seemed far away and lost. The only thing that held any of them together was rescue. Maurice closed his eyes and shook his head. He was beginning to understand the feelings of certain people on this island, particularly Kyra and Jack, and even Roger a little, though the latter was tricky. There was no doubt that Jack cared for Kyra, but Maurice wasn't sure if she had feelings for him. He thought of their relationship as a love/hate one, where in some moments they cared for the other, but certain things drove them to hate each other. As for Roger, well he was an exception to everything. But in those moments on the beach, he saw something in Kyra's eyes that wasn't fear nor plain anger, but something more as if Roger had done something and she was going to make him pay for it. Tired of thinking and massaging his aching head, he bid the others goodnight and headed for bed.

Ralph and Simon followed suit shortly after, the two unaware they were thinking along the same lines. Aside from the events since the beginning of their 'stay' on the island, they had begun to understand, as Maurice had, a difference in attitude and feelings between people on the island. The littluns were beginning to disobey the rules, following Jack instead. And speaking of him, it was Jack that fell on both the boys' mind at how different he was with them, and with the only girl on the island. Simon had realized long before how Jack had felt for Kyra, but wasn't sure she returned it.

Ralph on the other hand, wasn't so pessimistic. Like the optimist that he was, he felt that somewhere deep inside her, Kyra felt for Jack, and deeply too. He noticed it in the way she talked to him and how she treated him and how she let him treat her. She argued with him but in a way very different than she argued with Roger or the others.

Sighing almost simultaneously, the duo headed off to bed. Ralph's mind was still in overdrive, and still undecided about anything, told himself he was going to call an assembly in the morning.

***

That night Kyra dreamed of strange happenings, and constant blasts of fire and noise raided her mind. But it didn't feel like a dream. It felt too real. Kyra awakened, and the only thing she could see was a ball f fire descending into the ocean. She wasn't sure if she was awake or if she was still dreaming. She realized the noise and fire hadn't been a dream, it had been happening above them all. She searched the night sky, but found no other evidence of a fight. She succumbed to sleep again, hoping…no praying, for something real…something from the real world.

High above them in the war-torn skies, two fighter planes collided, exploding with such force that it illuminated the night sky. One pilot fell from his plane, parachute deployed, falling into the darkness of their island. Strung through the endless jungle, his life, like Robert's, left him. And with each gust of wind came the sway of his lifeless body, the beast from air.

The only real thing…the only sign from the real world…and it was dead. Or was it? It was as Simon had said so very clearly, and knowing it, they had shunned him.

There was a beast…it was within.

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**A/N**: Please READ AND REVIEW!!!! Hope you all like, read chappie 7! It's up too!!!


	7. Snakes in the Marsh

**Disclaimer: **We all know I don't own it...jeez

**Claimer: **And we all know who I own...Kyra

**Rating: **M...remember that

**Author's Note:** Yeah, two chappies again! Please read and review. I won't bore you with long stories about my life lol. ENJOY IT!!!!!

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~Chapter 7: Snakes in the Marsh~

It was almost noon when Ralph called an assembly the next day. Robert's body had been carried to the far side of the island that morning, the west side, and was buried there.

Arriving at the beach, Kyra resumed her usual spot, standing behind Ralph amongst the trees whilst the others assembled, disgruntled and obviously not wanting to be there.

The debate had begun and fresh arguments about being chief had ensued, not to mention the increasing fear of the beast, which almost everyone had now witnessed.

"I saw it too!" Johnny, one of the littluns, shouted hysterically. "It moved in the dark, back and forth!" The other littluns became frightened until they all began to talk at once of how they had seen something moving in the trees.

"There's no beast on this island!" Jack said, standing in frustration, his voice rising. "If there is, then we would have hunted it down already!"

"But it's moving in the trees!" one of the littluns wailed even louder.

"It's not a beast," Kyra began calmly, suddenly, still hidden amongst the foliage, though they could see her shadow in front of them. They remained quiet, remembering yesterday's outburst of anger, and by the way she was talking, they knew she wasn't over it yet.

"What is it?" Ralph asked in a low whisper, feeling stupid afterwards for talking so low when no one else was around them.

"Last night, it happened. I'm not sure what it was, but it was some kind of explosion. A parachuter fell from his plane, his cables got caught in the trees and he died there I think. The wind moves the trees that move him making him look like puppet, the beast you're all talking about."

For a minute, no one had anything to say. Then, Roger said, quietly and without looking up at her, "How can you be so sure?"

Noticing for the first time that he held no sarcasm in his voice, no bitterness, she answered him in the same calm tone, "I was sleeping but I kept having these strange dreams. I woke during the night and saw some kind of explosion, falling into the ocean. This morning, I was walking through the forest and saw something moving in the trees, so I checked it out. It was the parachuter, but I don't think he wanted to land on the island. I think he wanted to land in the water."

"And you didn't help him?" Roger asked again, this time suddenly angered as if he actually cared about being rescued. "You didn't stop it!" He was talking nonsense.

"How was I supposed to stop it? What, do you think I had wings to fly and stop the explosion? You think I can stop this war?" she snapped at him her eyes flashing, her body now withdrawn from the trees though she still remained close to their shadows.

"You're lying," Roger argued, sitting down and crossing his arms in a defiant way.

"I'm lying am I?" Kyra repeated. "Then let me show you if you don't believe me." She turned and passed them about to walk into the forest when she noticed no one was following her.

Then with one look that could have killed all of them, Piggy cleared his throat and announced, "I'll stay with the littluns."

Ralph stood to follow his best friend who had her back turned to them again, and Jack, Roger and Maurice followed suit, with Samneric and Simon bringing up the rear.

She talked to none of them, though she could hear them whispering, about what she didn't know, nor did she care.

"How far?" a voice very close to her ear asked. Not turning to face him, she knew it was Jack.

"I don't know, but it's close to where we buried Robert," she answered flatly.

"Wouldn't we have seen it though?" He inquired, stepping carefully over some fallen branches. Kyra merely shrugged.

"Call me a liar if you want, I don't care." She jumped over a small hill and landed in a little clearing. The others kept close behind and soon they were passing a part of the jungle thick with trees and vines and creepers.

"We've never been here before," Jack whispered to Roger and Maurice.

"I thought you went everywhere on the island?" Ralph asked him sarcastically. He was doing that lately and Kyra began to wonder why. Maybe it was all the pressure of being chief.

"There's no animals here, that's why you don't know this place. You track them on the other side," Kyra told them. They didn't ask questions but nodded instead. Kyra veered a little to the north, as to keep the spring out of sight. It was then that Jack pointed out some boulders and Kyra did a double-take. Had she led them the wrong way?

Kyra relaxed as she realized it wasn't the spring.

"Look at it," Jack began as he climbed halfway up the cliff.

It was larger than the mountain, though it's peak not as high. It was made of darker granite, an almost grey-red.

"It would be a perfect hideout for a beast! What a place for a fort!" he exclaimed, suddenly excited.

Roger had climbed up with him and the two were fantasizing about the place as a "castle". Maurice and Samneric had also joined them and the boys were hurdling stones down the cliff's side. Then, Jack spotted a boulder that captivated him, for it was positioned perfectly to kill.

Jack was explaining his fascinations to Roger, while Ralph was trying to get them going. "Shove a palm trunk under that and if an enemy came-," he clapped his hands together to mimic the squashing of his imaginary opponents and the two boys laughed.

"Come on already!" Ralph shouted at the two. Samneric and Maurice had already rejoined a disgruntled Ralph who was pointing to a very pissed off Kyra. She was wondering the forest a little ways ahead of them no doubt fuming silently at their childishness.

When the two had descended, Ralph reprimanded them. "I'm chief! We've got to make certain that there is no beast. There's no signal showing on the mountain. There may be a ship out there."

The others just walked past him and caught up to Kyra who was already ahead of them. Simon hung back with Ralph who sighed and resumed walking.

It was about half an hour later when they came close to the place they had buried Robert. Instead of continuing to the west coast of the island where the makeshift burial place was, Kyra veered south toward the mountain. The others followed silently behind her.

About ten minutes into the jungle, the grass became soggy and the trees more sparse, the overhanging branches of neighbouring trees the shelter for this area. The dirt was now mud and as they continued to walk forward they could see that the little place was a narrow marshland, somehow flooded by the sea at one point.

"Stay to your right, the land is drier," Kyra instructed them as Maurice pulled his shoe out of the mud with a squelching sound.

"And keep quiet," she added shortly after. When she saw them exchange glances she finished, "You don't want to disturb the snakes."

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Samneric exchange frightened glances while Jack and Roger looked almost amused. They all nodded and continued on silently, carefully stepping on rocks or branches as not to get their feet wet and to minimize the noise from the squelching mud.

Maurice was walking closely behind Kyra and hopped over a log to catch up to her. She watched him as he came up beside her and saw him open his mouth to say something. But as he did, a strange rustling sound emitted from his mouth. He closed it and they all heard it again. Slowly, Kyra looked up and her eyes went wide.

Slithering above them on the branches over their heads was a green vine snake. Though they could hardly see it due to its amazing camouflage in the trees, as it lowered its' head into the surrounding air, they saw the yellow beaded eyes as it seemingly looked at them.

"Don't move," Jack whispered.

Everyone remained rooted to their spots, no sound coming from anyone. The snake's body curled over the branch, its' head stretching out into the open. It was hovering above Kyra's right shoulder and Jack watched as she drew her knife slowly, keeping it low, out of the sun. Any wrong move and the snake would be provoked into attacking them.

Cautiously, she curled her fingers around the hilt of her knife preparing to strike the snake's neck before it struck her. She saw something pass behind her and she turned slowly, only to see Roger taking a step backwards. Studying the position of his feet, she knew that if he moved back another step, he would be walking over the fallen twigs and leaves.

Just as Kyra was about to whisper for him to keep still, he took that fatal step backwards and an echoing crack sounded through the small marsh as the twigs beneath his feet broke in half. Without delay, Kyra ducked and almost dove for the ground as the snake plummeted forward, the sound driving it into motion. But as fast as she had moved, she was a second too late, and as she swung her knife over her left shoulder and into the back of the snake's head, it fell with a small thud on the marsh floor, its' two large fangs losing grip on its' victim. Two small puncture marks were now visible on Kyra's arm and Simon rushed to her side. He picked up the snake's head and examined it, noticing a thick substance dripping from its fangs.

Roger was stuck to the ground as he watched in complete horror at what had just happened. Jack was observing the expressions of both Simon and Kyra, the first which looked somewhat worried, and the latter slowly getting up, tiny streams of blood making trails on her tanned skin, her face expressionless.

He walked up to Simon and stood over him, and with such worry in his voice that Kyra stared at him a moment, asked, "Was it…venomous?"

Simon slowly looked up to meet Jack's eyes and without even nodding, Jack knew the answer.

"Oh God…," he whispered so only Simon could hear, though Kyra was trying to read his lips.

He was obviously extremely concerned. The others understood what Jack's silence meant, as well as Simon's blank stare and for a moment, the entire marshland sunk into an unnatural stillness.

And then, as if no longer able to hold it in any longer, Roger exploded. A tirade of apologies cascaded from his lips and for the first time, Kyra stared as Roger broke down, believing that he had been the cause of someone's near death (which she was sure he didn't really care if someone died).

Utterly perplexed, Kyra turned around and faced east, heading back to camp. She allowed the blood to flow freely, hoping to get rid of some of the venom. Though it hadn't been much, she knew that the green vine snakes were deadly to humans if they allowed enough venom in. Because she had killed it as it's' fangs broke through her skin, she wasn't sure how much venom was inside her.

Ralph posed the possibility that maybe no venom had penetrated, but she told Ralph that it was impossible.

"The second the fangs break through the skin, the venom flows," she had explained to him as they trekked through the jungle, Jack in front of them, clearing the path of anything that might be in their way.

Then she added thoughtfully, "Plus, I saw the venom on its fangs when Simon was holding it. There's no doubt it's inside me. I just don't know how much."

Now, as they broke through the last of the trees and the expanse of a sandy beach came into view, she turned and said to Ralph, "You should get the littluns in bed. I don't want them to see what I'm going to do."

Ralph nodded but just as he stepped up to address Piggy and the littluns, Jack yelled to the four children, "All of you in bed now!"

Instantly they left Piggy's side and jumped into their hut without question, Jack's commanding voice scaring them into action. When he turned around, he noticed that Samneric were missing and that Simon, Piggy and Ralph had gone to fill coconuts, with fresh water from the lagoon.

Kyra asked him to bring her someone's cloak from his choir to use as a bandage. He returned with one from the shelter he and Roger slept in and laid it by her side. She smiled to herself, wondering whose it was.

Samneric arrived back on the beach shortly after, carrying a log of fire. Apparently, the fire hadn't gone out when they went in search of the beast as Kyra had allowed enough wood to keep it going. The twins had added more timber and lit the log like a torch the way Kyra had a few nights ago.

Placing it in front of her, she pulled her knife out and let it heat up so that metal began to glow red and then white. When she was sure it was hot enough, she recalled in her mind her father's lessons on snake bites and what to do if a venomous snake attacks.

Borrowing Jack's knife, she tore a few pieces of the black cloak. She tied off a piece at the top of her arm to prevent the blood from flowing. It would minimize the amount of venom flowing through her. She rolled up a small piece and bit down hard on it as she took her own knife and did what she thought impossible to do to one's self.

"What are you going to do?" Ralph asked, his tone suggesting he was about to be very sick if Kyra did what he was thinking.

"The only way to get the venom out is to tie off the arm, bleed it out and seal it closed. There are no stitches here, so my only option is burning it closed." She seemed confident though the other knew she was probably mortified at what she would be doing to herself.

Carefully following the puncture marks on the inside of her left arm, she drew the knife across her skin using enough pressure to break through the tough layer. Joining the puncture marks in a clean slice, she let the blood spill freely onto the sand, tears forming at the corner of her eyes but never falling. With the piece of cloth still in her mouth (because she knew this would sting) she poured an entire coconut full of water onto the wound to wash out the bad blood.

Next, using the now-empty coconut, she took a handful of sand and placed it in the empty fruit. She added to it some water and the milk of a fresh coconut that Jack had pried open. It made a thick paste and she set it aside and moved to the next task.

Taking the water, she washed her wound again and removed her knife from the fire. This time, the blade was white-hot. It was a one-or-nothing shot. If it didn't close properly the first time, she could infect herself and die. And so, with the precision of a sharp-shooter and steady hand of a painter, she pressed the scorching blade to her skin and allowed it to sear shut. She poured some more water over it to cool it off and prevent infection and then applied the paste she had made earlier. It would keep the wound cool and take away the pain of the buring.

Wrapping it all up with a piece of the cloak, she allowed Jack to tie the ends for her.

Cleaning up the mess and going to sit in the shelter they had made for her, Kyra sighed and leaned back against the wall. She could hear Roger asking everyone where his cloak had gone until he realized that was what Kyra had been tearing apart.

He went to Jack and asked him why he hadn't given Kyra his own, and she laughed at Jack's reply.

"Because _you_ caused it, so it's _your_ cloak that should be used," he had answered. And then as he turned to leave Roger alone he added as a side-thought, "Besides, it's not like you need it."

Kyra couldn't help but laugh as she saw Jack approach her hut. He sat beside her comfortably and watched her smile.

"Are you feeling ok?" he asked her after a moment or so.

"I'll be alright. I should go though," she began suddenly, standing up to head for the mountain. When she saw Jack's questioning look she added, "I mean to the mountain. The fire, it has to be-"

"Don't worry about it," Jack said, taking her good arm and reeling her back into the hut.

"But Ralph will-" she tried again, only to have Jack hold her down and cut her off.

"Relax, will you," he laughed. "Samneric are there for tonight. You need to sleep and relax."

"I'm ok, trust me. It's not bad like I thought. You know I don't like staying down here with everyone. I'll be fine tonight," Kyra insisted, rising for the third time.

With a soft but commanding tone, Jack stopped her and looking deep into her blue eyes, he said, "No, tonight you'll stay here, and sleep down here so that if anything happens, we can help you."

For a second, she thought about fighting him on this one, but the thought of sleeping for a full night without having to wake to tend the fire seemed inviting and she agreed to stay on the beach.

By this time, night had already fallen, and Kyra and Jack remained in the hut and talked about life and certain things of interest. Everyone was asleep by now and only the two remained awake. She realized then, as Jack talked about his family, that they hadn't found the beast and that everyone had forgotten for the time being. She was lost in her thoughts because only when Jack touched her shoulder and asked if she was alright did she respond that she was fine.

Somehow, in the time that they spent conversing about nothing and yet everything, Kyra had found a comfortable spot lying against Jack, and he didn't seem to mind. She was relaxed and her breathing was beginning to even out so that sleep soon overcame her.

When Jack looked down at his sleeping companion, he gently kissed the top of her head as he too leaned his head against the wall, closing his eyes and finally allowing sleep to come.


	8. Roger's Warning

**Disclaimer: All belongs to the wonderful William Golding**

**Claimer: Kyra is my original character**

**Rating: R for language and scenes of sexuality**

**Author's Note: I'll make this short. Sorry for the wait, I know I promised to update earlier but only one review....it got me sad so I didn't know if I should continue or not. Please review guys, it means a lot and keeps me writing :) Enjoy and REVIEW!!!!! *puppy dog eyes***

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~Chapter 8: Roger's Warning~

It was like the contractions of a woman in labour but ten times worse. The pain that coursed through her body was wild, exciting and full of an energy that was trying to find a way out. She could have sworn that her insides were erupting and knowing that the poison had finally found its' way into her blood stream, Kyra opened her eyes and looked at the man beside her. Jack was sound asleep and Kyra had no intention of waking him.

Quietly slipping from his grasp, she bolted into the forest and fell to her knees some ways in when she was out of breath. It was there that she knew something was terribly wrong with her body as she retched and coughed and heaved and after some time spat out blood. Her body would be going into shock if she didn't give it an antidote or some kind of counter-poison.

The problem was she couldn't recall any. She began to panic and knew if she didn't hurry she would die here in the middle of the forest and no one would find her body until God knew when. She shivered at the thought. Why couldn't she remember what she had to do? It was something with a coconut, she was sure, but what was it she had to add to it? Her mind raced and the panic was building. She was starting to feel dizzy and it was all she could do to hold on tightly to the fallen coconut she had found beneath a tree.

While enveloped in her own world, Kyra didn't realize that Jack was on the look-out for her.

Having awoken very much alone, he had thought she had gone up to the mountain. But as he left the hut and saw a single pair of tracks in the sand, he knew it must have been Kyra and that something wasn't right. Her tracks had, of course, stopped when she entered the forest, but he knew she couldn't have gone too far. With high hopes, he ventured slowly into the forest in front of him until the sound of retching and coughing echoed close to him. He found her shortly after, kneeling on the forest floor, holding desperately to a coconut, obviously in some kind of pain.

"Kyra," he called out to her. Instantly, her head snapped up and without turning to look at him, she got up as best she could and ran in the opposite direction, coconut still in hand. The last thing she needed was for him to see her like this. But the running and the pain were a conflicting match and it wasn't long before she fell to the forest floor gasping for air.

Jack had caught up to her even though she continued to protest to leave her alone. He knelt by her and turned her face towards him.

"I need…an antidote…" she whispered, her insides burning with every word. He eyed the coconut and realized what it was for.

"Hang on," he said, pulling the fruit out of her grasp.

Pulling his knife out, he thrust it into coconut and pried it open, careful not to spill the milk. Then Jack stood and ripped off several palm leaves, being careful not to tear them. Running his knife through the veins on each leaf, he scooped out the milk from the leaves and mixed it with the coconut milk. Alone, the milk from a leaf would be deadly, but the acid in the coconut's milk would kill the harmful bacteria and leave the natural healing agents in the leaf's milk. Together, they would form a binding agent that would (hopefully) attract the venom and then leave Kyra's system with the daily bodily functions.

Kyra looked at Jack shocked. Of course…the missing ingredient was leaves. She took the milk concoction and drank it, wincing at its slightly bitter taste. By the time she finished, Jack had gathered her to him so the she was cuddled by his side against a rather large tree (then again, all of the trees looked that way). He turned her face towards his so that his cerulean eyes could look into her azure ones. She could see, without words, that deep beneath everything he pretended to be or not to be, Jack truly cared about her and she buried her head into his chest. She could feel his strong arms tightening around her slender frame, holding her close. She was drifting off into that comfortable sleep, barely aware of the words that Jack was saying.

"I'm always going to take care of you…I love you Kyra…I'll always love you…."

***

The sun was just breaking through trees of the jungle when Kyra woke up, finding herself comfortably wrapped up beside Jack. He was still sleeping and not wanting to disturb him, she got up quietly and headed back to camp.

She began to remember the events of the previous night as she changed the bandage on her arm and was thankful she was still alive. Roger was already awake when Kyra had arrived and it seemed Piggy was too, although he only left his hut when he was sure Roger wasn't around. He sat himself beside Kyra.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm ok, I slept rather well actually," she answered softly, smiling at him. He smiled uncertainly.

"I didn't," he told her, and for some reason a sudden sense of sadness overcame her before Piggy had even begun his story. "Roger wouldn't leave me alone. He kept saying something that Jack wasn't around and we told him to look into the tent and he said that Jack wasn't there and we asked him why he cared so much." Piggy said this all very fast and then took a deep breath. "Sorry, my auntie told me not to talk to fast on account of my asthma."

"Don't worry Piggy. Just relax and I'm sure if I talk to Jack he'll straighten Roger out," Kyra reassured her friend.

"It's ok. Too bad you don't have a remedy for asthma like you did for that bite. Ralph and Simon and Maurice and even Samneric were telling me about it at one point. You're smart about it." Piggy said, his brown eyes somehow shining through everything that was going on. It was like Simon, that radiating peace and happiness and tranquility and that sense of home that only certain people could bring. She examined Piggy for a minute and then gave him an unexpected hug.

"Thanks Piggy, for making me smile again," she told him, laughing at the shocked look on his face. He smiled and patted her hand as if to say he was glad to help.

She looked up in time to see Roger returning from wherever he had gone (apparently to get fruit for he was now eating it rather viciously) with no sign of Jack. That either meant Jack was still sleeping or Roger hadn't found him yet. Whatever the reason, Kyra couldn't help but wonder why Roger was so pissed off. He snapped at anyone who crossed his path and made some of the littluns cry. They came running to Kyra or Piggy for protection and soon the littluns were inside her hut while she watched them play games and even sleep a little.

It was around that time when Jack arrived on the beach. He said nothing to no one and Kyra could see a difference in his expression from the night before. If she looked long enough, she could see the happiness in his eyes, but on the outside, he looked like the commanding leader that everyone had grown used to. Roger had sprung up from the hut and immediately began a conversation with his best friend, no doubt trying to figure out where he was all night.

Fed up with all Roger's complaints and just his annoying personality, Kyra stood up and walked over to the pair, who Maurice was now joining. Before heading into the forest she stopped beside Roger and whispered, loud enough for Jack and Maurice to hear, "Stop worrying Roger. No one's going to abandon you. After all, we _all _love you." She exaggerated the ending a little and her eyes flashed wickedly so that Jack had to blink to make sure of what he was seeing.

Knowing full well she had provoked him, she made for the forest, laughing until she disappeared behind the trees, satisfied for once at having gotten back at Roger.

***

It was still early evening when Kyra decided to head to the spring to bathe. She had remained in the forest all day, even exploring a little of the new cliff they had found the previous day. About halfway to the spring, Kyra was confronted by the one person she had been avoiding all day.

Roger, she noticed as he strode up to her, was casual, almost 'kind' looking (if that was possible). She waited for him to pass her but he didn't. Instead, he walked straight up to Kyra and, being a considerable amount taller than she was, if only by an inch or two, looked down at her.

"I have nothing to say to you," she told him bluntly and pushed him out of the way. Since when she had become bold against him she didn't know, but it was now or never. He grabbed her wrist as it made contact with his chest and flung her around so that he was holding her tight to him, her back against his body. She pulled away but it only made him tighten his grip. He brushed her hair away from her face, placing it behind her ear, moving his mouth over her neck so that she whimpered but didn't yell.

"You listen here," he warned in between the soft kisses he was giving her neck and cheek. "I know there's something between you and Jack. But you listen to me. If I can't be the one to have you then he can't either. You say goodbye to good old Jack and you won't have anymore problems you hear."

She fought against his grip but it was fruitless. He was holding her with iron strength and she wriggled to get away from him. It only made him laugh and he pressed his body up against her. He turned her around so she faced him. Her eyes betrayed the expression on her face and he knew she was scared. He took her face in his hands and brought it close to his face. "You will be mine," he said maliciously. Then with one swift movement that made her gasp, he pressed his lips against hers and let his tongue slide into her mouth, forcing her to kiss him. He pressed his body even closer to hers so that she could feel him and once he was satisfied, he released her. He was gone in a flash leaving her wanting to drown in the spring.

***

Bored out of his mind and needing to clear his head a little, Jack made his way into the forest, leaving everyone sitting on the beach. Roger had been gone quite some time, he had noticed, and had only come back a few minutes ago. He also knew that Kyra had gone somewhere, but no one knew where and she hadn't told anyone either. Samneric were up on the mountain maintaining the fire, though they remained afraid of the Beast.

Absentmindedly, Jack began to follow the same path they had travelled the previous day to see Beast. But unlike Kyra, he didn't know which way to go and made a turn too soon. He came across a place somewhere deep inside the jungle and extremely well hidden by ivy, reeds and grasses that it looked like part of the ground. It turned out these covered objects were boulders and he could swear he heard the sound of running water and someone- if he wasn't mistaken- was humming. Curiosity getting the best of him, Jack found a small opening where a person could enter and stared in shock at what he saw. Lying on some rocks were someone's very familiar clothing. And what was even more familiar was the girl who was surfacing from the water just now.

A cold wind blew suddenly through the forest so it rustled the leaves on the ground and made everything stir in the still air. Jack ducked behind a rock and was out of sight just in time. He decided to keep his knowledge of this place to himself, knowing that Kyra wanted her privacy from everyone else.

He walked away, heading back to the beach, thinking that Kyra was really very beautiful.

***

How she had made it there surprised even her, but she had run the distance to the spring, stripped her clothing and dove in. It calmed her to be in those waters as if nothing could hurt her there. Her pink patterned dress was lying on the rocks and she was laying her jeans out to dry when a cool breeze flitted through the air and made the reeds around the boulders stir. She had just resurfaced, feeling the strange coldness for only a second. It disappeared though, and all she could feel was the warmth of the water and the heat of the evening and all she could see were what the remaining fragments of sunlight illuminated.

Looking over her shoulder again but seeing nothing or no one, she quickly got out and got dressed, stuffing her bag in its hiding place and finally headed for the beach.

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**A/N: Thanks to those who did review...I really really truly appreciate it. I makes you want to write. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW GUYS! Thanks!!!! P.S. I'm posting chapter 9 up too so you have two chappies to read yay!!!!**


	9. The Lord of the Flies

**Disclaimer:** Do you think if I owned Lord of the Flies, I'd be writing a fic about it?

**Claimer:** Just Kyra

**Rating: **R- for languange and disturbing scenes

**Author's Note:** So i'm in the mode for updating two chapters at a time, but I must admit, it's almost done. We're at chapter 9 and there's only a few more left. So I hope everyone enjoys it and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!!!! I really appreciate it! Oh, and you will find alot of line taken directly from the book in this chapter just so you know! ON WITH THE STORY THEN!!

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**~Chapter 9: The Lord of the Flies ~**

It was near dark when Kyra reached the beach where the others were already in bed. Only Jack was awake, walking around his hut, his hands deep in his pant pockets. Kyra noticed he was still shirtless as he looked up and saw her arrive on the beach.

"I've sent Samneric to watch the fire tonight," Jack said, wasting no time. She looked at him quizzically.

Shaking her head she replied, "I'm fine, I'll go up tonight and Samneric can get some sleep." She made to leave for the mountain when Jack gently touched her arm.

"They're to stay with you, incase you need anything," he instructed her. She smiled and laughed lightly.

"I'll be alright on my own, Jack." But one glance at his face and Kyra sighed. "Alright, they can stay."

Letting her go, Jack watched as Kyra made her way up to the mountain. He turned and sat in his hut watching as clouds began to cover the blue-black sky overhead.

***

Up on the mountain, Samneric were watching silently as the fire began to flicker and wave against the backdrop of the pristine blue ocean- now a serene black. The branches behind them rustled then and the twins got up simultaneously. A familiar face emerged from the leaves and Samneric breathed a sigh of relief.

"You scared us," they said together and then laughed. Even Kyra smiled. They had a nasty habit of always doing or saying everything together- talk about the strong bond between twins.

"I'm sorry. I just came up here to resume my place. You guys can go down if you want," she explained to them.

They exchanged glances. Sam started. "But Jack said-"

"-we had to stay here-"

"-and make sure you were ok." They ended their sentence together again.

"Don't worry ok, just go back to camp. I'm fine, Jack knows that." Finally agreeing, Samneric began the descent to the camp on the beach.

***

Meanwhile, deep in the forest, Jack, Ralph and Roger had agreed to seek the Beast out on their own. Jack had roused Ralph and Roger from their sleep since there was still a little light left and Piggy sat in his hut waiting for their return. They had followed the same path as before, Jack knowing how to get there this time and upon approaching the hill where the Beast was hanging from, the three boys gasped in horror. Roger and Jack, each with their spears in hand, froze to the spot and Ralph stared wide-eyed at the thing in front of him. A billowing creature with its arms spread out over the trees stared back at them, its head moving back and forth. And then suddenly they fled, the three bolting towards the camp, and as they did the creature lifted its head, holding toward them a ruin of a face.

Only when they arrived on the beach did they breathe. Piggy listened as they began to tell him what they saw. He was wide-eyed and stared in horror at them.

"It had teeth and big black eyes!" Ralph exclaimed to Piggy. The four boys stayed silent, contemplating what they had just seen, Piggy imagining it in his head.

A yawn escaped Roger and he stood up suddenly. "I'm going to bed, I can't sit here anymore." He turned and headed for the tent. Ralph looked at the others.

"I agree. I'm going to. Piggy, you coming?" Almost obediently, Piggy followed Ralph as if he was safe away from Jack.

Jack was the only one who remained on the beach. He was thinking about what Kyra had said about the Beast earlier.

"_Last night, it happened. I'm not sure what it was, but it was some kind of explosion. A parachuter fell from his plane, his cables got caught in the trees and he died there I think. The wind moves the trees that move him making him look like puppet, the beast you're all talking about."_

How could it be what she was talking about when he had seen with his own eyes the horror that the creature was. It was there in front of him! He saw its head move and its arms open like wings. It was vivid in his mind. Reality came flooding back to him when he saw something breaking through the trees on his left.

Samneric emerged and for an instance, Jack stood and thought they were going to give him some bad news about Kyra. But when they continued their conversation, Jack became suspicious.

"What are you two doing down here?" he inquired, staring down at them, so they could see his glaring eyes through the remaining light of day.

"Kyra told us to come." Sam started looking at his brother.

"She told us to get some sleep-"

"And that you'd understand-"

Then, without warning, Jack moved passed the twins and they stood there on the beach utterly confused.

***

Back on the mountain, Kyra was tending to the fire, stoking it with a stick and adding more logs. Though the sky was now almost dark, pale blue and red streaks were floating through the sky, underlying dark clouds that darted past, a sure sign that a storm was coming. Distant claps of thunder and sparks of lightning flitted through the night sky.

She looked at her freshly bandaged arm and was humming softly to herself. She didn't even hear the footsteps as they climbed the rocks up to the mountain. She was to busy looking at the sky, thinking and remembering. Her father had taught her so much and she knew he would never have wanted something like this to happen to her.

"All the things you never wished on me are happening now," she whispered up into the night. "Where are you, when I need you the most?"

Thunder sounded as she finished, the blue-black clouds gathering, pale lightning streaking through the sky faster, more often.

She stood, deciding to hide in her hut before it started to rain. But just as she turned, another blast of lightning illuminated the mountain top and she jumped, nearly screaming as she saw the figure of a very familiar person standing there.

Jack was staring at her intensely, and through the light of the flickering fire, she could see the anger burning in his eyes. She walked around him, keeping her gaze ahead of her, but he wasn't here for quiet time.

Grabbing her arm, she was forced to face him. His eyes were vivid, like the Beast in the forest. Staring at him, Kyra could have sworn she saw Roger in front of her. Never in their time on the island had she seen Jack angry like this, not even with his friends. But tonight, it was different.

"Why did you send them down?" Jack asked her sternly. She tried to hold his gaze and answered back as calmly as her body would let her.

"I needed privacy. I can take care of myself you know." She shook herself from Jack's grasp and turned away, looking over the cliff and out to the ocean.

"Samneric were supposed to stay here…," he paused and she could here him breathing deeply. "What if something happened to you?" she was reminded of the other night but shook her head. She was better now.

She turned to face him. "Why do you care about me so much?" She mentally smacked herself. Why did she have to sound so rude?

It was Jack's turn to stare at Kyra. Something about the way she had asked him tore his heart. The pain in her voice like she had been hurt so many times before was so clear to him in those moments.

But the anger in him was stronger than anything tonight and his eyes clouded with that rage.

"I have no idea." His voice was cold and low and Kyra watched as Jack left for the beach.

The only words she had wanted to hear from him were that he loved her.

***

It was the break of dawn, the sun just reaching the horizon when the call of the conch rang out. An assembly had been called again, but this time, not by Ralph. Jack had made his own decision last night- he had called the assembly this morning, and this time, he had a lot to say.

When she arrived on the beach to their meeting area, she noticed Jack was completely angered. His features were creased and hard and she was, for once, scared of him.

The Beast was the first thing that Jack addressed, saying that he, Roger, and Ralph had seen it. Kyra exchanged glanced with Simon and the two shook their heads. There was no point trying to convince the others because, as Simon had said, the Beast was within, and everyday that they stayed on the island, the Beast grew.

Once again, tempers flared and Ralph and Jack were at the end of their lines. They were insulting each other, Jack claiming Ralph wasn't a good chief and Ralph calling Jack and his hunters' cowards. The others stared at the two- it was like watching a heated tennis tournament.

"You and your hunters are just a bunch of boys with sticks!" Ralph shouted at Jack. "You're all cowards!"

"You're the coward," Jack retaliated. "You've become like Piggy now! You think like him…and talk like him! You're not a proper chief!"

And then, without waiting for an answer, he turned to the others. "How many here think Ralph shouldn't be chief?" Anger was blazing in him and when no one raised their hands, Jack straightened up in defiance.

"Alright then, I'm not going to play any longer. Not with you...I'm not going to be a part of Ralph's lot. Anyone who wants to be a hunter can come and join me." And then he left, a trail of boys following behind him.

The ones who remained could only stare. Kyra stared at his retreating form. He didn't want to 'play anymore'? What did he think, this was all a game of survival? Anger raged inside her, as she though about how childish Jack had been a moment ago. It was Simon who broke the silence first.

"Maybe we should move to the mountain." When no one agreed, Piggy spoke up.

"Why don't we move the signal fire down here to the beach?"

The idea was settled and with Piggy's glasses, the fire was lit on the beach. A noticeably smaller group crowded around the fire. Simon, Kyra, Ralph, Piggy and Samneric, the only remaining members of Ralph's tribe, sat around the fire and stared in a long contemplative silence at the nothingness around them.

***

Simon had wondered into the jungle to his favourite spot. He was sitting and thinking when the running footsteps of the other boys came closer. Quickly, he hid underneath a mat of creepers and waited.

Jack and Roger were the first on the spot and noticed a sow with her piglets. Disrupting her nursing piglets, Roger impaled her right up her ass and Jack cut her throat with his knife, wiping the blood off his hands onto Maurice's cheeks. The latter wasn't very enthusiastic as the warm blood trickled down his face. Maurice vaguely heard Jack demand Roger to sharpen a stick at both ends. The sow's head was cut off entirely and stuck on one side on the stick, the other driven deep into the ground, blood and guts dripping to the floor.

"Let it be a gift to the Beast!" Jack shouted through the forest laughing. But his laugh was dark and cruel, Maurice noticed, unlike the one he had when they had first arrived on the island. Then, the carcass was carried out and the others followed closely behind their precious cargo.

It was only when Simon was sure that they were gone did he emerge from the creepers and sat, watching as millions of flies attached itself to the bloody head of the pig.

Curiosity getting the best of him he waited, seeing if this Beast would come get its gift. A voice then spoke to Simon, a voice he called the Lord of the Flies. Its voice was mocking.

"_I am the Beast. Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill! You knew, didn't you? I'm part of you? Close, close, close! I'm the reason why it's no go? Why things are what they are?"_

The head remained motionless, unmoving and Simon knew the voice came from within him. Simon's body was half covered in flies, his eyes half-closed in a perfect mirror of the pig's head on the stake. Body and mind were one, and Simon knew it. And then, the Beast began again, this time threatening him.

"_You're not wanted on this island! So don't try to take it on...or else....we shall do you. See? Jack and Roger and Maurice and Piggy and Ralph."_

And then suddenly, Simon fell unconscious, his head falling silently onto the creepers. But deep inside him he knew that if he attempted once more to tell the others what was real and what he knew, he would be slain, not only by Jack and Roger, but by Ralph and Piggy too. Simon knew in this time that the Beast was truly within them all.

Simon wasn't back yet and Kyra had gone off to the spring, though she hadn't told anyone where she was going. Ralph, Piggy and Samneric were tending to the fire, the dark sky promising rain, when a rush of people suddenly burst through the forest.

Jack and his hunters were raiding the camp and plucking half burning branches from the fire on the beach to light their own pig roasting fire.

Jack faced everyone as his hunters stood behind him. "Anyone who wants to come eat more meat with us is welcome!" he declared and then left with his hunters to begin their meal.

The others looked expectantly at Ralph, and for once, their leader was lost for words.

***

It wasn't long before Piggy and Ralph had joined the others, satisfying their need for meat. Everything else left their minds- home, shelter, and even the signal fire.

Ralph, having brought the conch with him, attempted to call another assembly. This time, everyone laughed at him. Then, without any warning, the darkening sky opened and it began to rain heavily on them.

"Don't you have shelters?" Ralph reprimanded as the boys became soaked. Except for Ralph and Piggy, the others had remained shirtless, the water glistening off their bodies by the light of the fire.

Laughing and excited, Jack stood and called out to his group for a dance. Softly, he began to chant, "Kill the Beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!"

It got louder and louder until everyone had formed a circle around Roger who willingly pretended to be the Beast. Ralph and even Piggy took part in the ritual. They found themselves eager to take a place in this demented but partly secure society. They were glad to touch the brown backs of the fence that hemmed in the terror of the makeshift beast and made it governable. Slowly, they were beginning to fall into the uncivilized world, consumed by this new power.

Unaware of anything, the boys didn't notice the pair of eyes watching them hauntingly. Kyra, having left the spring, watched as Ralph and Piggy joined this wicked ritualistic society that Jack had created.

Their pace was becoming more frantic and the storm above them brewed with a passionate fury. Suddenly, in the distance, Simon appeared. But Kyra, so overwhelmed by the falling society Ralph had tried to create, was unaware of his very presence. Kyra moved back into the depths of the forest until she heard a familiar shy voice cry out. But she was too late.

Simon had somehow found his way into the crowd of chanting boys, trying to warn and comfort them about the Beast; that it wasn't real. He had seen it too. He had climbed the hill and seen the rotting pilot and knew that the Beast wasn't real. But his voice was drowned and he was knocked to the ground, stabbed by their spears.

"Stop it! STOP!" Kyra shouted as she ran towards Simon. But no one could hear her with the thunder and the wind and their shouting. And then, with strength she didn't know she had, she pulled Roger away from the group and then Jack and suddenly, everyone froze. Lying on the sand near the water was Simon's beaten body, scraped and bloody, but still alive.

Then suddenly the cables holding the pilot's lifeless body on the hill snapped and swung across the forest towards the beach where the boys scattered in fear. The body dropped into the water, swept away by the sea. Somehow, Kyra knew that Simon, the one who had resisted it all, even more than her, had known that this could happen. That even though she didn't know about the Lord of the Flies, she knew Simon was just trying to tell them something- that they could have stayed innocent and pure if only they had suppressed the evil inside of them.

Without thinking, Kyra stood and turned, facing Jack, and with one swift movement of her hand, she slapped him across the face. Then, taking Simon with her so that he leaned on her for support, she made her way to the mountain, leaving the others looking between her and Jack, a red mark evident on his cheek.

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**A/N: EVERYONE HOPE YOU ENJOY. PLEASE REVIEWS ARE WELCOME!!! IT KEEPS INSPIRING, ESPECIALLY SINCE THIS FIC IS ALMOST OVER! READ AND REVIEW THANKS EVERYONE!**


	10. Castle Rock

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**Disclaimer: **William Golding owns it all

**Claimer:** Kyra is my only character

**Rating:** M for all future chapters for violence and eventual mature subject matter

**Author's Note:** Sorry this took so long but it's just that the reviews aren't coming in so I decided no one would mind if i took time to write this. Anyways, we are nearing the end of this fic so hopefully you all enjoy and review this chapter. Read and review!! Enjoy!

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**~Chapter 10: Castle Rock~**

Early morning found Ralph, Piggy and Samneric on the beach, Jack and his hunters having retreated to their new hideout- Castle Rock. They contemplated the beating of Simon until the twins left into the forest to get some firewood. Ralph and Piggy remained alone.

"It was an accident," Piggy insisted as Ralph bowed his head, unable to accept this. "We was on the outside. We never done nothing, we never seen nothing."

Ralph remained silent as Piggy headed to the bathing pool. Samneric returned to the beach and after asking Piggy what was wrong with Ralph, they tried to comfort Ralph the same way Piggy had.

It was then that two figures emerged from the forest. Kyra, followed by a bruised and scratched but otherwise ok Simon, joined Ralph and the others on the beach. Everyone was silent, no one able to say anything. And then, slowly and sadly, Ralph got up and embraced Simon.

"I'm sorry Simon, we never meant to hurt you." Simon pulled back so he could look at Ralph- and he was smiling.

Simon was always like that, Kyra decided. Even on the mountain while she was treating him, he had told her he didn't hate them. She didn't know how he did it, but Kyra knew she found her strength in Simon. He was the star that lit the sky when nights were dark and where she knew he would always know what to say. They had talked about plans to keep the savages away from them and now they shared their ideas with the others. Soon, darkness fell, and they all slept together in one of the bigger shelters.

Falling into a restless sleep, Kyra knew that she didn't trust the hunters. If they found Simon alone, they might try to kill him this time. He had agreed not to go into the forest to think anymore in case they found him. Even Kyra refrained from going to the spring as often. She had finally told the others about it since they had all agreed they would tell each other where they were going in case something happened to them. If they didn't come back, then the others would have an idea where to look.

And so, putting everything from her mind, she closed her eyes and listened to the deep breathing of her sleeping companions. But she was startled as she dozed off to sleep. Noises outside the hut woke even Piggy and Ralph.

"It's the Beast! It's come for us!" Piggy whispered frantically. But Kyra and Simon knew better. There was no Beast- it was Jack. Kyra hid Simon behind her and covered Piggy's mouth, whispering in his ear to keep quiet. Everyone stayed hushed and Kyra felt her heart racing as shadows crept by their huts. Then in a flash, Kyra ducked and kept Simon out of sight as Jack, Maurice and Roger broke through the shelter side-coverings and attacked Piggy. Fighting back with all his strength he was no match for them. For just a spilt second Kyra turned to face them and her eyes locked momentarily with Jack's. Her heart felt like it had stopped and she held her breath as she stared at his face, the anger in his eyes suddenly subdued, but then back again the next second. She dared not move and the three boys left, taking with them Piggy's glasses and the only hope for fire that they had was gone.

***

The morning found Piggy, Samneric and Ralph with bruised cheeks and arms while Kyra and Simon remained unharmed. Piggy, now blind, sat in sadness in the hut while Ralph tried to revive the dead fire. But it was dead and cold and when he blew on it, only ashes rose into the air. In desperation, he called an assembly and the six remaining friends decided what to do.

"We should all comb our hair and look decent like we used to," Ralph commented, noticing their extremely dirty state.

"You can use the spring if you want," Kyra offered. It was the only time she had ever done so, but Ralph declined the offer.

"No, it's alright. We just have to go to Castle Rock and ask Jack for Piggy's specs back."

Skeptically, Simon spoke. "Do you think he'll listen?"

"I have an idea," Kyra began before anyone could answer. "If you guys can keep them all occupied, I can steal them back. I've been to Castle Rock on my own before Jack, and if I know him, I think I know where he'll hide it."

After debating and discussing the idea and making some adjustments, the six decided to confront Jack and his hunters.

Ralph and Samneric were carrying spears while Simon followed sandwiched in between them and Kyra, who took up the rear and guided Piggy along. It didn't take them long until they found Castle Rock and Simon hid behind the others.

Roger, now the guard of Castle Rock, stopped them and ordered them to go back to camp. Jack appeared behind them, his face painted black and green, his hunters carrying a carcass of a pig.

"We want Piggy's specs back!" Ralph demanded. The entire tribe laughed at him. Jack stepped onto the rock that connected Castle Rock with the mainland and he and Ralph fought briefly with their spears, each encouraging the other to attack first.

Noticing Samneric behind Ralph, Jack called out to some of his hunters. "Capture the twins!" The two brothers protested out of the heart of civilization but didn't fight Jack's hunters. They were tied up and brought up to Castle Rock.

Meanwhile, inside the cave of Castle Rock, Kyra was rummaging through it as everyone's attention was kept on Ralph, Piggy, Samneric and Simon. Hidden on a thin slate of rock that jutted out from the wall (acting as a shelf) were Piggy's specs and Kyra quickly seized them and leapt from Castle Rock. She made her way around into the forest and emerged so she was standing beside Simon, somehow "appearing" there, the specs safely hidden.

Ralph and Jack were now charging at each other, fighting and continuing to encourage the other to attack.

"You're a beast and a swine and a bloody, bloody thief!" Ralph yelled to Jack and for a second, Jack stopped fighting. His eyes flew to Kyra who was watching, retreating slowly towards the trees as if to hide from him.

"Ralph, stop it, let's go! This was pointless!" Kyra shouted at her best friend. Making a grab for his arm, she pleaded with him, her eyes sad. Ralph took one last look at the hunters and grabbed Piggy, dragging him behind. Simon fled with them and Kyra stared at Jack a second longer before finally taking off into the forest and back to the beach.

***

Once sure they were alone, they collapsed onto the beach.

"Where's Samneric?" Kyra inquired.

"Jack took them prisoner," Ralph told her. He shook his head. "We couldn't do anything." Kyra sighed and pulled something from her jean pockets.

Handing them to Piggy, she said, "Here, I got them for you."

"Jack will come after us again though," Simon said thoughtfully as Piggy happily put his glasses on.

Nodding, Kyra agreed. "I know, and that's why we need a plan. You guys have to stay in the hideout we discussed. I'll let him take me."

"You can't go, we need you." Piggy whined.

"It's better me than any of you. They'll hurt you or Simon and Ralph, well, they'll hurt him to. If anything happens, just run."

Finally, they agreed to some things, and knowing that Jack would be coming back for the spectacles, they slept on the beach that afternoon, not wanting to think about what the night would bring.

The night arrived and the four were well rested. They had started a fire with Piggy's glasses and had decided they would be undeterred by the hunters if they came. Their laughter was loud as they shared jokes and stories. Kyra had just finished singing a song they had all learned when they were children when they heard a distinct rustling in the forest. Looking at each other, they knew it was time to put their plans into play.

"Hey Piggy, can you tell us a story?" Ralph asked. Piggy laughed before he even started.

"I've got this one story that you'll be laughing till morning! So my auntie knew this woman right…."

Laughing so hard before he even finished, the four friends were rolling on the beach, their sides hurting and out of breath. Tears came to their eyes as they continued to laugh at Piggy's ridiculously funny story.

Unexpectedly, Roger burst through the trees and watched as the four were laughing and lying on the beach.

"All of you quiet now!" He demanded, his voice echoing in the night. The four friends ignored him completely and continued their fun.

Frustrated, Roger yelled at them again. "I said shut up, all of you! Give us those specs and there won't be any fight!"

Finally, Kyra turned to face Roger and saw Jack in the distance, as if he didn't want to be a part of this. She stood and the other three followed suit. Roger and the others closed in around them, crowded mostly behind Piggy as if to attack him any second.

Looking at Ralph, Simon and Piggy, she smiled and stretched, letting out a small yawn.

"Let's go for a walk, it's nice out," Ralph suggested, smiling a little as he said it. Kyra mused for a second and then looked at the other two.

Nodding, she agreed. "Good idea, Ralph. It's getting too crowded here." The four took a step forward and the hunters closed in around them. Standing face to face with Roger, Kyra stared him in the eyes. For the first time, she wasn't afraid of him, and she pushed him aside as the other three followed her and walked into the forest.

No one looked back and silently, the four friends took a deep breath. They knew somehow that this story wasn't over yet and they couldn't have been more right.

Behind them, someone yelled and Kyra turned to see what was going on. Roger had told the older hunters to chase the four. Exchanging worried looks with the other three, Kyra yelled out.

"RUN!"

They scrambled from camp and ran deep into the forest. Stealing a glance from behind her, she noticed Roger and the others were catching up. A sudden strange feeling coursed through her body and Kyra knew what she had to do. She stopped mid-run, breathing hard.

In front of her, Ralph looked back and saw that she had stopped. She motioned for them to go, to run and hide to the place they had designated and after a moment, Ralph reluctantly obliged.

Kyra turned to face the hunters. Roger was the first one there and he stopped as he watched her turn to them. Pulling her knife from her pocket, Kyra ran forward and attacked him- something she took pleasure in doing. Roger was quick, but not quick enough. He dodged her but the knife managed to graze his arm so that a fairly large cut was left. With Roger in momentary shock, Kyra made a run for it and noticed the other three waiting for her. Instead of abandoning her, they had hid and waited. As she ran to catch up to them, she began to lose speed, her body tired. This was what Roger had been waiting for- something to slow her down and keep her down.

She noticed Piggy breathing heavily- he wouldn't be able to keep this up any longer. Her sides were killing her and she felt weak in the knees. She fell to the forest floor and landed painfully on a rock jutting from the ground. Turning around, she knew this was it. The savages were gaining on them and with one more plea to Ralph, Simon and Piggy to run and hide, Kyra let her body gain energy. But as ever loyal as Simon, Piggy and Ralph were, they didn't do as she asked, but hid in some nearby bushes and watched the scene unfold.

As Roger approached her, his exposed chest and arm now blood-smeared, Kyra made one last desperate attempt to finish what she started. She relished what she was about to do. Never before had she wanted to kill. She thought, as she prepared to attack, if she was becoming savage like hunters. She didn't have an answer. All she knew was that Roger couldn't remain alive.

With her knife raised, Kyra ran at Roger with only one intention- to kill him. Her aim was steady and deadly, but this time, he was ready for her. Catching her arm and twisting it behind her back, he held her down. Kyra, with no other choice, kicked Roger in the shins, giving her one last hope of running. But Roger didn't stay down for long. Easily catching her because she was hurt and tired, Roger had an advantage.

And so, with nothing left, Kyra dropped the knife and surrendered to him. Picking it up and examining his own blood on the tip of the knife, he pulled her into a standing position and faced her.

A cruel grin was plastered to his face and he played with the knife in front of her face. "You have two options," he began, his voice harsh.

What Roger was going to say Kyra didn't find out because Jack interrupted.

"No, she stays with us at Castle Rock, there are no options." Jack demanded. Kyra looked up at him briefly, seeing the hatred in his eyes and the burning anger written across his face.

Deep down inside, Jack knew the sacrifice she had made to save Piggy. But now, in this moment, he didn't care. She was his. That was the way it was supposed to be.

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**A/N:** Thanks for reading hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I'll try not to take to long updating next time but I'm potentially starting another fic on Lord of the Rings, so we'll see how it goes. Thanks you everyone again and please READ AND REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	11. The Final Attempt

**Disclaimer and Claimer:** Kyra is mine and everything else isn't ok....

**Rating: **Most definitely M for mature subject matter! You have been warned.

**Author's Note:** Thank you guys sooooooo much for all the lovely reviews and please, keep reviewing and reading. There aren't many chapters left now so I hope you enjoy it. I know this one is a little shorter than the others but it's because what happens in this chapter, I didn't want to connect it with another one. It didn't seem right- it just needed it's own spotlight. R&R guys, thanks so much again!!!

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**~Chapter 11: The Final Attempt~**

Arriving at Castle Rock, Roger pushed her up the makeshift stairs. Her hands bound, she couldn't fight back but yelled at him instead to untie her so she could walk properly. Jack was already waiting at the top of the summit. Slowly, Kyra made her way up the stairs, looking constantly over the side at the jagged rocks below them. If she were to fall, it would be certain death. Holding the rock wall with her left hand, she reached the final step and made to climb onto the landing.

A hand reached forward to help her up and she looked up and into the face of Jack. Most of the paint was gone from his face and she could clearly see his blue eyes. And then, with an air of defiance, she hoisted herself up onto the landing and walked past him, leaving Jack crouching on the ground.

It seemed that everyone slept on leaves instead of proper beds since Castle Rock was almost perfectly flat on top. Jack had ordered her to stay in the cave and she soon learned that only Jack slept in there and no one else could enter without his permission.

It was later, almost early morning, when Jack brought her some food and laid it in front of her. With her knees drawn close to her body, she refused to eat and Jack, with no other choice, lay down on his makeshift bed to sleep. Silently, Kyra remained awake, crying into the early hours of dawn until her exhausted body collapsed to sleep.

***

The next morning Jack found Kyra sleeping and quietly left the cave. He didn't come back until early afternoon and when he entered the cave he noticed Kyra was awake and humming to herself. The food he had brought yesterday remained untouched.

Upon seeing him enter, she gazed at him intently for a minute and then spoke up. "I want to go to the spring…it's not far from here…just that way."

Jack, who already knew about the spring but pretended otherwise, hesitated a moment. Eventually he gave in when Kyra pointed out there would no point in running away.

On her way to the spring, Kyra found the hideout where Piggy, Ralph and Simon were staying and told them what she knew about Castle Rock.

"You shouldn't be here," Ralph whispered to her. "What if someone followed you?"

"No one did, Jack promised me that no one would follow," Kyra reassured. Piggy and Ralph gave her a skeptical look.

"How can you still trust him?" Ralph protested.

Avoiding the question, Kyra continued. "Listen, for your own safety you guys have to stay hidden. Go out only at night, but only if you need to. No one can see the smoke of your fire; I already made sure of it."

"You need to be careful," Piggy told her. Kyra smiled at him.

"I'll be ok. You guys need to be careful, and whatever happens, protect Piggy," she warned them.

After a few more minutes of conversation, Kyra headed for the spring. She spent a considerable amount of time there and wondered if she stayed out until evening if Jack or his hunters would come looking for her. Deciding against it because she didn't want a repeat of yesterday, Kyra changed into the pink dress from her jeans and black tank top and returned to Castle Rock.

She noticed Jack pacing the front of the cave as she arrived, obviously waiting for her. Saying nothing to him, Kyra walked past him and into the cave.

"We're going out hunting today," Jack informed her from the front of the cave. "We probably won't be back until late."

Kyra shrugged. "Ok, I'm not hungry anyway," she replied shortly. She could hear Jack sigh audibly. He opened his mouth to speak but quickly closed it as the two heard Roger yelling. Following Jack out, Kyra looked down and saw Ralph, Piggy and Simon yelling at Roger and Jack to release her.

Jack gave her a disapproving look and Kyra shook her head at them, telling them to go away.

"Go back to camp!" she demanded, as she watched Roger stick a palm truck under a boulder.

"Let me go talk to them!" she said, turning to Jack. When he gave her no answer, she pushed past him and ran down the stairs.

"Just give us the specs and you can all go live happily together," Roger taunted.

Reaching the base of Castle Rock, Kyra whispered to Ralph. "Get out of here, now. Just go!"

Piggy turned to her and gave her a look that said they should just give up, the hand that was holding the conch loosening, but Kyra shook his shoulder.

"You do that, we lose what we built. You're not like them okay," she assured Piggy.

"Ralph please, just do what I ask. Go back to camp and stay there and you'll have no trouble." Kyra begged him again.

The sound of splintering wood made Kyra look up just as Roger let the massive boulder plummet down the side of Castle Rock. With quick thinking, Kyra and Ralph grabbed Piggy, the boulder aiming straight for him. The conch fell from his hand as the boulder made contact with the ground, smashing the conch into a thousand white fragments.

Turning back to Ralph, Kyra looked at him fiercely. "You get out of here now and protect Piggy the way I said. That was your last warning," she demanded quietly.

Reluctantly, Ralph, Piggy and Simon disappeared into the forest and Kyra looked up at Roger as he locked eyes with her. He was smiling down at her and she had every nerve to kill him right there.

After making sure Kyra was inside the cave, Jack called to his hunters. They marched away in search of food as Maurice's voice rang out.

"ROGER! Hurry the hell up!" Roger didn't answer and Kyra watched Maurice pass in front of the caving to join the hunters.

Once again alone, Kyra sighed and cast her gaze downwards. A shadow passed over her and her gaze was drawn up. She stood suddenly, eyeing her knife that Jack had hid in a grove of the cave. Roger was standing there and he wasn't going anywhere.

"Leave me alone," she ordered him. "You should be out hunting with them."

Roger laughed evilly. "I have some unfinished business to attend to first." His cruel grin widened as he continued to walk into the cave, pushing Kyra back against the wall. "You think you can come here and hurt me and not pay for what you do?"

He looked at his arm, a red line still evident- a perfect slice to the muscle.

Pushing her against the wall he blocked her exit with his arms on each side of her, his face less than an inch away. With whatever strength she had, Kyra pushed him away from her, but he was stronger. Using her body, she forced him a couple of inches away and slipped through the opening.

An iron hand closed around her right arm and she was forced back into Roger's body. He spun her around so she faced him and pinned her hard against the wall so that she lost her breath. With his one hand he held both of hers down so she couldn't fight him while he pressed himself closer to her body. His free hand made contact with her bare leg and the hem of her dress, pulling it away from her body. She tried to turn her face away but he used his head to stop her. Pressing his lips against her, he bit her bottom lip and forced her to kiss him. His hand was still on her leg and she could feel it moving up her thigh. She squirmed and bit his tongue hard so that he let go of her.

"JACK!" she yelled from the cave. Roger laughed.

"No one can hear you now," he told her threateningly as she shouted for Jack again.

Angered, she kicked Roger in the shin, so that he pulled away from her in pain and stumbled backwards. Running for her knife, she managed to grab the hilt but her body was brought down as Roger pushed her. The knife clattered to the stone floor as her knees scraped against it hard. With her feet, she pushed away from Roger, trying to make a grab for the knife. He grabbed a fistful of her dress and pulled hard so that the material tore, exposing more skin than she would have liked.

Now Kyra was crying. She called for Jack again and again though she wasn't sure why. Pulling her up, Roger pressed her against the wall again and forcefully kissed her, tugging at the sleeves of her dress so that they fell off her shoulder. His mouth moved to the sensitive area of her neck and with every last ounce of will power in her, she pushed him away so he stumbled backwards and she made a mad dash for the knife.

She reached it and grabbed it, but Roger's hands were on her again as he gripped the sleeve of her dress, ready to tear it. In an instant she turned, the sleeve ripping and with everything in her, she drove the knife into Roger's stomach.

She fell to the cave floor, Roger's warm blood pouring over her as he fell unconscious.

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**A/N: Hope everyone liked it a lot. Tell me what you guys think about this chapter??? R&R please and enjoy!!!!!!!!**


	12. Telling the Truth

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything that is William Goldings

**Claimer:** Kyra....

**Rating:** M for mature themes

**Author's Note:** Hello everyone, I'm back and i have another chapter for you guys. Sorry it took so long, I know a lot of people are waiting for this to be up. Well it is now and I hope you all like it alot. Read and Review guys, thanks for reading and waiting!!!

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~Chapter 12: Telling the Truth~

Late evening found Jack and his hunters making their way back to Castle Rock, unsuccessful in catching anything.

Jack called to Maurice. "You see Roger?" he asked as they climbed the steps. Maurice shook his head and left with the others, a strange feeling settling in his stomach. Jack, his eyebrows creased, entered the cave.

"Kyra?" he called out, his voice echoing. There was no answer. "Kyra?" he called again, this time his voice rising.

In the back of the cave Kyra watched as his shadow entered and she could hear worry in his voice. But still she kept quiet, her body shivering now.

Jack took another step into the cave and looked down. In horror or shock, he wasn't sure, he gasped. Lifting his gaze, he noticed Kyra, scratched, bloody, and with torn clothes and rushed to her.

"Kyra," he whispered gently and for the first time in several days she looked up at him, hearing the sincerity in his voice. Tears leaked from her eyes but she didn't try to stop them. Her lips were dry and cracked like she hadn't had water for days and her cheeks and arms and legs were smeared with blood.

"I…didn't mean…to…," she gasped in between breaths. Jack hushed her but her body continued to heave as she tried to explain. "He…he tried to…to hurt…hurt…me…."

Kneeling beside her, Jack put a hand to her face but she backed away, even though she knew he would never hurt her. Then unexpectedly, Jack pulled her close to him as she wept into his bare chest, his strong arms holding her tight.

***

How long she cried neither of them knew, but after a while Jack told Kyra that she would have to get cleaned up. Not really wanting to go, but knowing she had to otherwise she risked infection, Kyra allowed Jack to help her stand.

Jack knew that Kyra would be going to the spring and so, before she left, he pulled her back.

"You can go, if you want to. You don't have to come back," Jack told her softly. Kyra nodding, saying nothing, and once she was free, she ran.

Where she was running she didn't know but she just wanted to run. Fortunately for her, she came upon the spring and dove in, clothes and all. How long she stayed she wasn't sure, but she watched the sun fade behind the trees, night soon approaching. Kyra was left with two options. One was to find Ralph, Simon and Piggy and stay with them or she could go back to Castle Rock. And so, after a few outbursts of tears and fits of anger, Kyra gathered herself from the springs and headed to Castle Rock where she knew that she was safe as long as Jack was there to protect her.

***

Once on the platform of Castle Rock, Kyra made for the cave as quickly as possible. A sudden movement of leaves made her turn around only to see birds flying from a nearby tree. Sighing in relief, Kyra took two steps forward when more rustling and footsteps were heard.

Freezing in her spot, Kyra looked around. "Jack?" she called out. Holding her breath, she heard the noise again and this time, a little louder she called, "Who's there?"

Taking a step forward she noticed there was nothing, but as she turned back around, Maurice scrambled out of the tangle of bushes and Kyra screamed, covering her mouth as to not wake the others.

Hearing her scream, Maurice jumped back, a questioning look written on his face. Raising her eyebrows, Maurice answered her unasked question.

"Jack said you left…he said he let you go…." Maurice said, picking his words carefully.

Searching him for answers but finding none, Kyra stated softly, "I guess you know what happened then." The sadness in her voice made Maurice's heart drop and he barely nodded.

"I don't know everything. Jack gave me a general idea though," he explained to her.

Nodding absentmindedly, Kyra noticed the look of sadness that crept on Maurice's face. His copper eyes, though usually always sad, held an even greater feeling of misery.

Unsure of what to do, and not wanting to press Kyra into anything, he sat on a boulder and motioned to the spot next to him. She hesitated for a moment and he could see that she would rather remaining standing.

"Hey, don't worry, I'd never hurt you in any way," he reassured. Something in the way he said it made her trust him and so she sat beside him and the two began to talk.

How it happened, she didn't know, but as their conversation progressed, Kyra began to talk to Maurice about the night's event, somehow able to restrain herself from crying. And then, what she told him next shocked even her.

"It wasn't the only time Maurice," she whispered to him, staring at her hands.

"What do you mean?"

"Before this…this was just worse. But Roger's done things before…he's tried to do it before to me," she explained, staring ahead at the trees in the distance. Maurice was in shock.

"Why didn't you ever say anything?" he inquired, deeply concerned.

"I couldn't, Roger forced me not to. I'm a strong person too, I learned to be like that. But I've learned that it's also my weakness because I keep everything from other people." Kyra paused, looking Maurice in the eye. "I was afraid of what Roger could do if they found out. My pride…it got in my way."

She fell silent again, this time a little longer. "I thought about telling someone often but…it wouldn't matter," she continued. "Who would believe me if I did?"

"I would, and so would Jack, you know he would," Maurice answered quickly, staring at her. When she remained quiet he went on.

"I know he's been different lately, even I can see that. But he never stopped loving you Kyra. I saw that the day Robert died and I think Simon saw it too. It's what drove Roger mad. He had everything Jack did, and you were the only thing he couldn't have that Jack did. He wanted to drive you two apart so that he could have you to himself."

After saying this, he noticed the pained look in Kyra's eyes and continued reassuringly. "I know it's a lot to say and it might seem harsh especially after today…but if Jack knew, he would have killed Roger for it."

When Maurice said this, Kyra gave him a fierce look. "That's why I never wanted to say anything. I didn't want someone dying because of me. Maurice…promise you won't tell Jack about this please, promise me."

"I promise, don't worry. But you should think about telling him sometime," Maurice said as Kyra stood and stretched.

"Thank you Maurice…for everything," she told him and he got up as well. "If Jack ever found out, he'd-"

"I'd what?" Jack's voice cut Kyra off and she and Maurice froze to their spots. Exchanging glances, Kyra cleared her throat.

"Oh, nothing, Maurice and I were just talking," she replied, giving a look to Maurice and playing nervously with a rock with her foot.

Knowing better and not believing her, Jack crossed his arm. "I'd what, Kyra?" he repeated and she sensed the seriousness in his voice. Maurice noticed it too and the pair simultaneously looked down.

"We mineaswell tell him Maurice…" she said softly.

Jack raised an eyebrow, frustrated. "Tell me what?"

Taking a deep breath and hearing the impatience in his voice, Kyra began. "Well it's nothing really…but it's about Samneric…" she paused, watching Jack's expression. It remained unchanged and she noticed Maurice holding his own breath.

"Go on," Jack told her.

"Well," she continued, "they only allowed you to capture them because we told them to…we told them to stay as spies for us."

Maurice restrained his mouth from hanging open. Kyra looked quickly (and in Maurice's mind very innocently) at Jack and said, "I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want them to get hurt…they're only kids after all…" she trailed off, hoping against hope that Jack would buy it.

Maurice was struggling with himself to keep from laughing, so instead, he let out a long loud yawn so that Jack gave him a weird look and then turned to Kyra.

"We can deal with that later," he informed her. When he said nothing else, Maurice took the opportunity to speak.

"Well, goodnight you two. It's getting late and I'm tired."

"Goodnight," Kyra said and Jack nodded at him. They watched as he disappeared behind the rock wall. Kyra let out a breath and rubbed her bare arms as a cool breeze floated towards them.

"Well, I better get off to bed as well. It's getting late and we should get some sleep before tomorrow," Kyra said to Jack, not once looking at him, but staring off at some random spot on the horizon.

She turned towards the cave when she felt a hand on her upper arm holding her back.

"Not so fast," Jack said from behind her. Her body froze, knowing that he hadn't bought the lie.

"If I ever found out what, Kyra, what would I do?" Kyra turned to face him trying to pry herself from his grasp.

As he wasn't holding her very tightly, she slid out of his grip and said, "It's nothing I told you already."

Again, not believing her, he stopped her as she turned around again. This time she stayed facing the other way so her back was to him. She closed her eyes wishing he would stop asking questions. "Why won't you tell me?" he pressed. She loosened herself from his grasp and walked forward purposefully.

"What do you want me to say? It's nothing Jack!" she said irritably.

He knew it was only a matter of time before she told him but this time when she turned away from him and walked forward a sudden idea struck him. He realized that he was probably right and it was the only reason she didn't want to talk about it. And so, not wanting to bring up the subject but having no other choice, he took one step forward and caught both her arms, holding her back.

He could see she was trying to stay calm, and so without so much as a pause, he asked her, "It has to do with him, doesn't it…Roger?"

Instantly, he could feel her body tense up and he knew he had hit a soft spot. He cursed himself for even saying it but he had to know the truth. This time, with more force than necessary, she wrenched herself from his grasp and composed herself.

"It's nothing! Will you drop it already?" She said heatedly. With that she walked into the cave to grab her bag (which she brought with her) and leave but when she turned around she found Jack blocking the entrance.

Defiance in her eyes, she moved to go past him, but he moved so he was in front of her. She glared at him and told him to move.

When he remained there, she pointed in the distance and said, "I'd like to go sleep out there, now move."

She made to push him out of her way when she suddenly found herself backed against the stone wall, her wrists pinned to her sides by Jack. She was staring into his eyes, all her defiance gone and replaced by what he knew was fear. Jack knew that she was remembering what had happened early and so he loosened his grip but didn't let her go entirely.

"What's going on?" he asked her quietly. She looked down and then back at him. She pushed him away and gave him the same answer as before.

"Nothing is going on! Why are you so obsessed with the idea?" She wouldn't- couldn't- answer his question. She made for the exit but once again he caught her arm and turned her around to face him.

"Why are you lying to me?" he countered harshly and she remained quiet.

She couldn't argue it, even if she wanted to. Nothing in the world could prove that she was telling the truth, and Jack knew full well that all this had to do with Roger.

"What happened, Kyra? Before…all this?" he said carefully, watching her expression.

"It was nothing, honestly Jack…nothing happened," she said, fighting him off. Her voice was now quiet and he could tell she was trying hard not to cry. When she went for the exit, he knew he had to get her to tell him- it was now or never.

So, he stood in front of her and wouldn't let her pass. She let out a frustrated noise and begged him to move. When he didn't, she glared at him again but there was nothing more than a great sadness in her blue eyes. He saw this and knew she was almost going to confirm what he thought. But it was getting late and if anything, he had to know the truth tonight. Mustering up everything in him, he looked down at her intensely but with soft eyes.

"Why can't you just tell me what happened? What's going on that you're afraid of?" He said this softly, but all the same it triggered something in Kyra that tears formed in her eyes.

Unwillingly to shed them but unable to stop them, she faced him. "Nothing happened Jack! Why are you so intent on finding out?" she practically yelled, which shocked Jack as he was talking calmly.

She moved to push him out of her way but he caught hold of both her arms and held her firmly.

"Why are you hiding this? What did he do to you that you're not telling me?!"

She froze under his gaze and stared up at him. Releasing herself, she took a step backwards until she bumped into the wall.

"No…no, it's not him…," she began mumbling to herself. "He…didn't do anything…he didn't…," she breathed, tears now staining her cheeks. "It was…it just…"

Jack took a step forward, traces of anger now apparent on his face. "He hurt you before, didn't he? Didn't he, Kyra?"

This time, he held her so she was facing him, but she turned her head away.

"Tell me Kyra, he hurt you before didn't he?" he said a little more forcefully than he had intended.

Kyra used her remaining energy to push him off and she shook her head vigorously.

"No…no…," She turned so her back was to him and clasped her hands over her ears as he continued to ask the same question. She was crying now and she fell to her knees.

Determination rising in him like bread in an oven, Jack knelt down in front of her and pried her hands away from her ears.

"Kyra…Kyra look at me…," he coaxed, lifting her chin so he could see her eyes. She tried to move her head, but he kept her gaze on him.

Gently, he asked her again, "Kyra…tell me…has he hurt you before?" He paused, waiting for an answer.

And then, slowly, very slowly, she nodded once and then covered her face with her hands and sobbed. Jack remained frozen in his spot and then suddenly, Kyra felt him let go of her. She looked up to see him standing and heading for the exit.

Panic struck her and she choked out, "Jack! Jack, where are you going?"

She scrambled to her feet and ran after him. He had just exited the cave and she knew he was heading towards the place they had laid Roger.

Kyra grabbed his arm in a vague attempt to stop him. "Jack, please don't do this! Jack!"

He easily tore away from her and she could see the anger and hate burning in his eyes. Tears were spilling freely now and she grabbed his arm again, this time placing herself in front of him, trying to push him back.

"Please, Jack, don't do this…it wasn't his fault! This is why I never said anything! Please Jack!" She begged him.

"Not his fault? Don't try to protect him!" Jack said angrily, taking her hands gently and pried them away from him. He continued on to where he and Maurice had laid Roger earlier.

As he was about to turn the corner, a littlun came running from behind it and nearly crashed into Jack. He was out of breath, and by the looks of it, scared.

"He's not breathing! He's not moving either!" the littlun was saying breathlessly.

Kyra and Jack exchanged glances and she followed him and the littlun to where Roger was. As she rounded the corner, she held her breath. There, Roger was lying, his shaggy black hair falling into his eyes covering half his face. Her eyes trailed down his body where she noticed the blood soaked piece of cloth that was covering the wound. His face was pale and she could swear she saw his lips turning the lightest tinge of blue.

She rushed to his side ignoring the sudden movement by Jack. He was standing behind her carefully watching the black-haired boy. Kyra checked for a pulse, and when she found none, she looked up at Jack and nodded. Her face was creased with sadness and Jack's angry face dropped into one of shock.

It didn't take them long to carry Roger over to the other side of the island where Robert's body was. Kyra refused to attend the "funeral" but as the boys had carried him away, Kyra had whispered to him, "I forgive you". She didn't know why, but she felt that she had to. In part, it had been her fault. If she had told Jack or Maurice or anyone, they could have helped her. But she refused to because of pride. _Not everything_, Kyra thought to herself, _can be done alone_.

The boys spent quite a while away from Castle Rock so that Kyra worried if they had found Ralph, Piggy and Simon and if her three friends were alright. But in a few hours the boys returned silently, and each one headed off to their beds. Only Jack and Maurice remained awake and Kyra joined them outside the cave. They said nothing to each other but remained in quiet thought, events of the past few hours racing through each of their minds.

The sky began to lighten a little and Maurice bid Jack and Kyra goodnight. Jack headed into the cave expecting Kyra to enter anytime but she didn't come in until about a half hour later. When she walked into the cave, she saw Jack waiting up for her and he motioned for her to come beside him. Silently she lay beside his warm body and he carefully wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close to him. She succumbed to the sleep that awaited her, thankfully enveloping the darkness.

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**A/N: What do you guys think???? Like it? Hate it? Read and review everyone!!! It's almost finishing.....and i'm sorry to everyone who want Roger alive...**


	13. Storytelling

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Lord of the Flies. If I did, I wouldn't be writing a fic about it....

**Claimer:** Only my original character

**Rating:** I'll keep it mature, just in case

**Author's Note:** It's been a really long time, I know, and I apologize. For all those who have waited patiently and are on alerts for this story, THANK YOU soooo much. Unfortunately, this is the last and final chapter for this story. I can finally say it is completed (YAY!). I hope you all like the ending as much as I do. I used a lot of what William Golding had already, but just played it up a little. I know it's short, but I couldn't seem to drag it on any longer. It seemed fit for closure. Anyways, all of you who patiently waited, thanks again and please, everyone, read and review. I would love to hear your feedback. R&R everyone and most of all, enjoy!!!

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**~Chapter 13: Storytelling~**

The morning was still and silent except for a peculiar smell that lingered in the air. It fed off the oxygen of the fresh air and made it hard to breathe. It was the smell of smoke that awakened Kyra as she slept next to Jack in the cave of Castle Rock.

Sitting up, she roused Jack who stirred sleepily. "Jack, get up…it smells like smoke," she coaxed, rolling him over a little.

He blinked a couple of times before stretching and rubbing his eyes. That was when the smell of smoke hit his nostrils too. His eyebrows creased and he left the cave in search of the source. Maurice had woken to and was walking about trying to determine the cause.

Then, a littlun ran from the forest yelling something about a fire. Another littlun behind him screamed, saying the fire was burning everything. Jack climbed to the "tower" of Castle Rock and scanned the horizon where he saw swirls of white smoke rising from the trees. Suddenly, an explosion rocked the island and a massive orange fireball rose into the sky above the trees. The smoke was black and thick.

Kyra along with all the boys witnessed the blast as Jack rushed down to meet them.

"We have to get to the beach! And fast!" Jack yelled at everyone. They geared into action, grabbing their spears and running for their lives.

Jack took Kyra's hand in his and the pair sprinted for the beach. But a sudden thought struck her as she remembered Piggy, Simon and Ralph who didn't even know what was happening. Grinding herself to a halt, she pulled free of Jack.

"Ralph, Piggy and Simon, I have to warn them!" she shouted at Jack over the roar of the flames. He looked confused.

"We'll meet them on the beach…at camp!" he told her and he made to grab her hand again.

She shook her head violently. "They're not there! They moved some place else…somewhere safer." She turned and headed in the opposite direction and Jack hesitated a moment before agreeing to go with her.

"Maurice, make sure everyone gets to the beach!" he yelled over at his friend. Maurice gave him the thumbs up and continued to run. Jack quickly followed Kyra until they came to the hideout where the three friends were, all holding different expressions at seeing Kyra with Jack.

Ralph seemed shocked to say the least while Simon looked extremely pleased and Piggy remained uncertain.

"You guys have to follow us," Kyra explained rapidly. "There's a fire and we got to get to the beach!" She tugged on Ralph's shirt but he remained motionless.

"How do we know you haven't gone to his side?" Ralph asked, not caring whether there was really a fire or not.

"RALPH!" Kyra scolded. "Simon, you believe me right. You have to get out of here. Everything is going to burn in the fire's path and if we don't get to the beach, that means us!"

Without a second thought, Simon joined Kyra and Jack and Piggy immediately followed, afraid of the fire and not wanting to be left alone. Finally, after the smell of smoke reached their noses did Ralph realize his best friend wouldn't betray him. He obliged and the five dashed through the forest at break neck speed, Piggy breathing hard.

By this time, they had lost the others and didn't know if Maurice had arrived on the beach. Breaking through the forest, they were surprised at what they found. Some littluns were scattered around, crying and sitting in the sand. And what surprised them more was the massive Navy Vessel that had climbed ashore, a Navy Officer in full uniform standing in front of his ship.

Just as the Officer opened his mouth to speak, Maurice and the few others hurled out of the forest as another explosion went up. The Officer took in the appearance of those around him. One girl and about 12 boys, most of whom were shirtless, save for three, with clay painted on their faces and sharpened sticks in their hands.

"We saw your smoke. What have you been doing? Having a war or something?" he asked them, looking for some reason at Ralph.

"Yes," was all Ralph could say. And then he added a moment later, "Three have already been killed."

The Navy Officer was speechless until one of the littluns, Percival, came up to him and opened his mouth to tell the Officer his name.

"I'm…I'm…," no other words escaped little Percival's lips and he sat down sobbing. Kyra stared at him. Had he forgotten who he was?

Ralph then cleared his throat and spoke up. "I'm boss here…chief I mean…." But the words died on his lips as he saw the expression in the Officers' eyes.

Disappointment very clear in his voice, he addressed all of them. "I should have thought that a pack of British boys would have been able to put up a better show than that."

And then glancing at Kyra, the only girl, who wore an expression that clearly said 'do-I-look-like-a-boy-to-you' said, "And I wonder how you all treated the only woman that seems to be stuck on this island with you?"

A strange look crossed between Jack, Maurice and Kyra and she swallowed hard.

"We didn't know about the fire. It was set accidentally…," she trailed off, knowing that still wasn't a valid excuse. The children should have been watched over.

"It must have been an adventure…like Coral Island…," the Officer said, trying to be helpful.

And then, Kyra witnessed was she never thought she would see. Everyone- every boy on the beach- was crying in some way. Kyra's tears silently slid down her cheeks as they all remembered the events of their stay on the island, and how with the return of civilization to them, they had dropped all that they were and had become the people they had once been.

Ralph was crying the hardest. Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy. Piggy had been his life line, his support. It had been Piggy who had changed the most on the island- no longer shy and quiet, but now bold and outspoken. Piggy was the wise one. Piggy was the true friend, the loyal one of them all.

So with nothing to say, the Officer quickly got them aboard the Vessel and put it into gear. Within minutes, they were traveling away from the island, the place that had been their home for what seemed like so long.

"What day is it?" Kyra asked the Officer.

"July 21, 1942. Why?"

Kyra thought a moment and the others watched her. "I remember asking the captain of our ship what day it was…he said June 15…."

"So we've been stranded for just over a month then," Ralph finished for her. They nodded as two other Officers brought out some platters with food.

"You should all eat and then get cleaned up. It's going to be a long trip." The Officer that had rescued them said.

They did, for once, as they were told. The littluns had washed up and were now eating as one by one they took a shower and then ate together. Finally, thoroughly exhausted, the littluns were ushered off to bed by Kyra and Piggy who returned 10 minutes later to deck.

And then, as Kyra, Jack, Piggy, Simon, Ralph, Samneric and Maurice sat on deck, they began to tell their stories to the three Officers.

From their flight on the small plane to the transfer to the boat to when it sank and their arrival on the island. From the first pig dance to the talks of the Beast to the snake bite to when the hunters turned savages. From the separation of tribes to the raid on the camp to Simon and Piggy's near death and to Kyra's stay at Castle Rock. All the way to the death of Roger and the fire on the island. They talked all night, each taking turns, explaining what happened.

Though the Officers found out about Roger's death, Kyra never fully said what had happened. The Officer, however, didn't need telling twice and could see the motives for her attempting to kill him. It was this story that opened up Ralph's eyes and even Simon began to understand. Piggy, though unsure, had put the pieces together. Samneric had long since left to bed, too tired to hear what happened after the raid on Ralph's camp.

Eventually, darkness settled in and Kyra and the others looked out to the black ocean. It reminded all of them of the black waters the day their ship had sunk.

"You should all get some rest. It's been a long trip for all of you," the Officer in command told them.

But they were too flustered and awake and their minds were streaming with the events of past few days. Together, almost in perfect unison, Simon, Piggy and Ralph, and Maurice, Jack and Kyra headed for the stern of the Vessel where they looked out into the still darkness. Nothing moved through the sky, not even a breath of air. There was no wind, it was still tonight. And though they could see nothing through the vast clear darkness that was around them, they all stared in one direction.

The thin silhouette of an island now so far away stared back at them. They could see it perfectly as if they were arriving on it now. The fire seemed to have stopped or they were just too far to see the flames. But the black vines of smoke mingled with the black sky and the black ocean and everything fell into that black haunted world.

And slowly, one by one, they each headed off to bed, until only Jack and Kyra remained, staring off into the distance.

Kyra took one last look at the island as its shadow finally faded away, gone from their lives.

Then, Jack slipped his hand into hers, kissing it gently, and she let him lead her to their rooms below deck.

The once savage Beast was finally free.

Fin.

* * *

**A/N:** Yay, my first ever completed fic. I guess I'll have to pay attention to my other ones now ^^. Please R&R guys, and thanks again. I hope you enjoyed the ending and the whole fic. Thnaks to *everyone* who reviewed, you kept me writing---and sorry about the wait. ~ArqanesQueen~


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